Novus Lux
by ebjeebies
Summary: A mysterious power awakens within Kagome, flinging her into a world of demons and dark plots she never dreamed existed. Can she harness her power to stop human and demon worlds colliding, or will it ultimately control her? A/U. Violence, Adult situations.
1. Jailbird

Hello lovely readers! I am finally doing some consolidation and editing to this story. So, just for your reference, Chapters 1-3 are now Chapter 1, "Jailbird"; Chapters 4 & 5 will be Chapter 2, "Awakening"; Chapters 6-8 will be Chapter 3, "Explanations and Perturbations"; and Chapter 9 will be Chapter 4, but still called "Invitations & Information."

A few words relating to graphic design you may not know that I use in this chapter:

_Tracking:_ Refers to the space between _all_ letters in a word. Tracking out looks like this: T R A C K I N G. Tracking in looks like this: TRACKING. Make sense? Good.

_Kerning:_ Refers to the space between _two individual_ letters. Good kerning looks like this: KERNING. Bad kerning might look something like this: KE R NIN G. See the difference between kerning and tracking? Excellent!

_Mock-up: _A preliminary version of a design that is shown to the client before the final version is made or printed. The client may request several rounds of changes, and thus a designer will likely execute several mock-ups throughout the duration of a project.

_28 and 32 pound_ refers to Paper, which comes in different thicknesses, and the higher the number, the thicker the paper.

**Chapter 1: Jailbird**

"—I'm telling you, there isn't any left! I've looked everywhere!" Kagome snapped.

"Perfect. Exactly what I need," Inuyasha huffed as he scooted another box of paper out of the way. "The client is expecting those brochure mock-ups _tomorrow_, and I can't print them on just anything!"

"Why don't you just use the 28-pound laser-jet paper? I know it's not as nice, but—"

"Keh! This is Kosha Industries we're talking about! You think Sango will let me get away with printing on anything less than 32-pound?"

"It's not like you have any other choice!"

"The hell I don't! Can't you just go down to Foxbox and get more?"

"Hey! Just because I'm new doesn't mean you can send me on whatever little errand you want! I have Flash content and an entire new page that're due up on the website this afternoon!"

Inuyasha tossed the empty 32-pound paper box in the recycle bin. "And that'll take you, what? Five minutes?" he asked acidly.

"Clearly you know nothing about web coding or you wouldn't even suggest such a thing," Kagome icily replied. "Look, there's nothing else I can do for you. I have a project to finish, and I've already wasted enough time as it is. You can use the 28-pound or go to Foxbox yourself. I'm not a damn intern." She turned on her heel and headed toward the storage room door.

"Keh, I've never made you run errands for me," Inuyasha grumbled.

Pausing, Kagome said, "Well it hasn't exactly been for lack of trying, has it?" She stalked out.

Inuyasha was left standing awkwardly in the storage room, trying to remember when he'd asked her to run all those supposed errands. Scowling, he tossed the ream of 28-pound paper back in its box with more force than necessary, sending it skittering across the concrete floor. He'd just have to suck it up and go to Foxbox himself. Hopefully the lunchtime traffic wouldn't be too bad.

…

Inuyasha drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited at the light. His nails were short and rounded, their normal claw-like appearance concealed by the charm he wore around his neck. His demon dog ears were invisible as well, replaced by illusory human ones. However, Inuyasha's long, silvery white hair remained as it was in its low ponytail, his golden eyes staring up at the red light in consternation. He could have opted for a stronger charm, one that would have turned his hair dark and his eyes a muddy brown, but he didn't like the way those dampened his demon senses. The one he chose had a much milder effect, and while his senses weren't at the peak they would be in his normal hanyou state, they were significantly better than any humans'.

At the moment however, Inuyasha was rather wishing that he'd picked a stronger charm. The traffic was worse than usual; there had been an accident earlier, and they were still clearing the road. As a result, he'd been waiting at the same light for the last three cycles, getting an earful of honking horns and the occasional swear, and his nose stung from the acrid stench of exhaust.

Finally, the light turned green and there was enough space behind the car across the intersection for Inuyasha to pull forward. And then wait. Some more.

…

"Where's Inuyasha?" Sango asked.

"Oh, he went to Foxbox to get some more 32-pound paper," replied Kagome. "Didn't he tell you?"

Sango frowned. "No. I didn't realize we were out. Isn't there still some left over in the laser-jet upstairs?"

"I dunno. He just asked me to help check the supply room. I assumed he'd have checked all of the printers first."

Sango sighed. "Actually, no. You might have noticed, but Inuyasha doesn't really think things through all the time."

Kagome chuckled wryly. "I had started to pick up on that."

"Well, anyway, I'll go check that printer upstairs and see if we've got any. Either way, we'll need to order some more." Sango turned to walk out of the office, and smacked straight into a man with dark hair and smiling violet eyes. "Oof! Oh! Miroku! I'm so sorry!"

Miroku rubbed his left shoulder where Sango had collided with him, then laid a hand on Sango's arm. "It's quite alright Sango. It's not every day I have a lovely woman such as yourself nearly run me over!" His eyes sparkled with mirth.

Sango's cheeks colored slightly. "Ah—yes, well, I'll just go see about that paper then—"

"About that, actually," Miroku gently interrupted, "I couldn't help overhearing, and I actually just printed up there and had to exchange half a ream of 32-pound—"

Sango and Kagome groaned in unison.

"Inuyasha's really gonna love this…" Sango sighed. She picked up her phone. "I hope he hasn't bought anything yet."

…

Inuyasha plunked the box down on the gray countertop and pulled out his company credit card, grumpily handing it to the clerk.

The red haired man, whose nametag proclaimed him "Mr. Carl Manicci: Owner," smiled genially

and asked, "Will that be all, Mr. Taisho?"

"Keh. Yeah, that's it," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Bad day at the office?" Mr. Manicci asked as he swiped the card.

"Shitty traffic and picky clients," Inuyasha replied shortly.

"Well, try not to let it get you down too much, okay?" He handed Inuyasha his card and the receipt.

"Keh," grunted Inuyasha as he signed the paper and shoved it away.

"Have a nice day," Mr. Manicci called as Inuyasha lugged the box of paper out the door, letting it slam unceremoniously behind him. Mr. Manicci just shook his head and moseyed toward the back of the store.

Inuyasha dropped the box in his trunk with a dull thunk and slammed the lid shut. He walked around to the driver's side of the old red Toyota Camry, yanked the door open, and dropped into the seat. Putting the car in gear, he pulled out of the parking lot, where he'd been taking up two spots. As he was turning left across traffic, his cell phone rang.

"What?" Inuyasha grouched into the receiver.

"That's no way to answer the phone to your boss," Sango said testily on the other end.

"Keh."

"You didn't already pick up that paper, did you?" Sango asked, ignoring his temper.

"Of course I did. I'd be back now if it weren't for this damned traffic. Why?" He demanded.

_Silence._

"…There was some left wasn't there…?" Inuyasha growled.

"Well…yeah. There was almost half a ream, in the upstairs printer…" Sango trailed off.

"HALF A REAM? Fuck, and I went all this way— dammit, put Kagome on, will you?"

"Inuyasha, no, you're just going to—"

"Let me talk to her!"

"I already said, you don't need—"

"Dammit, Sango!"

"Fine, but it's your ass, not mine."

Inuyasha heard some vague muttering as the phone was handed over to Kagome. He turned right, accelerating up over the speed limit.

"Look, Inuyasha—" Kagome began.

"Don't "look" me!" Inuyasha snarled. "You told me we didn't have any left!"

"I only checked the supply closet. You should have known to check the upstairs printers!"

"But I _asked_ you, and you said—"

"It is not my job to be either your brain or your errand-girl, Inuyasha! We will be needing more of that paper eventually anyway!"

"It's not even _about_ the paper! I've lost almost two hours of work time picking it up, and now—"

"So shit happens," Kagome interrupted heatedly. "We _all_ deal with delays. Now stop acting like a child and—"

"_I'm _acting like a child? _You're _the one who—"

"For the last time, Inuyasha, just get the god forsaken paper back to the office, and then maybe we can sit and have a discussion like _mature adults._" Click.

Inuyasha stared at his phone for a second. "…Bitch…" he breathed. As he tossed it onto the seat next to him, he noticed lights flashing in his rear-view mirror. A siren blipped. He looked at his speedometer. "Fuck." The day couldn't possibly get any worse.

He pulled to the side of the road and the cop pulled in behind him. Inuyasha rolled down his window and waited, starting straight ahead.

"'Afternoon, sir," the officer said. "Do you know how fast you were drivin'?"

"About 45," Inuyasha stated shortly. He wanted to get this over with quickly.

"Hm, yep, and d'you know what the speed limit is on this road?"

"30."

"So then how come you were speedin' so much, sir?"

"Wasn't paying attention."

"I see. Well, I need to see your driver's license and registration."

Inuyasha leaned over and dug the registration out of the glove box and extracted his license from his wallet, handing them to the officer. Once again, Inuyasha was left to drum his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. The officer was taking unusually long. Inuyasha's patience, already largely exhausted, was just about to snap when the cop got out of his car and trudged back to Inuyasha's window.

"Well?" Inuyasha asked. "My ticket?"

"Sir, you may or may not be aware, but I have a warrant out for your arrest."

Inuyasha just stared at the officer.

"Sir, that means I'll need you to get out of your car and place your hands on the vehicle."

Inuyasha didn't move.

"Sir—"

"What the fuck?" Inuyasha finally said incredulously. "What the hell _for_?"

The officer sighed. "Unarmed robbery and…indecent exposure."

"WHAT?" Inuyasha roared. The officer jumped.

"Sir, I am simply telling you what I know. Now, I need you to—"

"That's bullshit! I would _never_, in a thousand years—!" And for him, he really meant that thousand years. With his lifespan, it wasn't exaggeration.

"Sir, I have a warrant for you stating that you committed unarmed robbery in the nude. You can make this easy, or you can make this difficult. _Get out of the vehicle. Now._" The officer was starting to get annoyed.

"I didn't commit no fuckin' _naked _robbery!" Inuyasha practically shouted.

"Sir if you do not exit your vehicle _right now_, I will add 'resisting arrest' to your list of charges!"

Reluctant, embarrassed, and thoroughly confused, Inuyasha unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car, cussing vehemently under his breath.

"Good," said the officer. "I'm going to search your vehicle and then do a quick pat-down. Don't move."

Inuyasha grudgingly submitted to both searches. He tried to think about who he might have pissed off recently that would have filed a false accusation. And an awkward one at that. He came up with no one. Inuyasha had raised the ire of more than a few people, but none who he thought would be likely to file such a charge. "Fucking hell," he muttered.

"Okay, put your hands behind your back," the officer commanded. Inuyasha shot a glare at the officer, but obeyed, and the officer snapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists, then guided him to the patrol car. "In here," the officer said, opening the door and shoving Inuyasha inside. The door slammed hard in his face.

The officer climbed into the driver's seat and picked up a radio. "This is Officer Meyers, patrol number 828."

"Go ahead," the radio crackled back.

"I've got an arrest and a speeding ticket for a Mr. Inuyasha Taisho. I'll need to have the car towed."

"What?" Inuyasha sputtered. Officer Meyers ignored him.

"Alright. Description and location?"

"South Sate Street, just south of West Roosevelt Road. Car is a '97 red Toyota Camry, license plate T-E-S-A-I-G-A."

"Got it. We'll have a truck there in a few minutes. You can take him back to the station."

"You bastard!" Inuyasha yelled, "I don't have the money to pay for towing!"

"You'll just have to figure it out, won't you, son?" Officer Meyers ignored the jab. He was smirking vaguely now. Getting a little revenge on the annoying ones was always satisfying.

"Asshole," Inuyasha breathed. The cop pulled out into traffic, heading for the station.

Several obnoxiously long lights and a few close calls later (Officer Meyers seemed to think he had the right of way no matter what), they arrived at the station, where Inuyasha was ushered into a holding cell. At that point, he could have simply removed his concealment charm and busted himself out of there. However, he wasn't stupid, and did at least take the time to think things through occasionally, despite what everyone else seemed to think. Presently, he knew the charges against him were false, but if he broke himself out, not only would he reveal himself as something other than human, he'd give them something real to charge him with. He opted to simply glare at the two officers outside the cell, keeping an ear out for anything that might tell him what the hell was going on.

A blonde female officer who had been tapping away at a dinosaur of a computer had stopped what she was doing to talk to officer Meyers.

"So is that Mr. Naked Robber we've got here?" she asked, gesturing toward Inuyasha's cell.

Officer Meyers chuckled. "Yup. In the flesh."

"Not showing much flesh right now though is he? Not a bad looking specimen though."

Officer Meyers grunted in response.

"Oi!" The woman shouted, "Naked Robber Guy, you gonna strip for us?" After a pause, she added, "I could use a look at a nice ass like yours for a change." She glanced significantly at Meyers, who was decidedly pudgy in several areas.

Inuyasha was shocked. He had _never_ been on the receiving end of a comment like that. That sort of thing got said to women, not men, and _especially_ not to him. He liked an aggressive woman, but this was simply demeaning. He guessed that was entirely the point.

Officer Meyers shifted uncomfortably. He should do the guy a favor and get rid of the woman before she really got going.

"Say, Jenna, " Meyers began, "Do you think you could take this report to the Chief for me?" He proffered the paperwork.

"And take me away from my eye candy?" She pouted.

"Please. You know I've sort of been in his doghouse lately…" he wheedled.

"Oh alright. But don't let Mr. Naked go anywhere. It's been a while since I've had any fun," she said, licking her lower lip and raking her eyes hungrily over Inuyasha's tense figure.

Meyers just nodded as she left. What could he say to that? He'd seen a couple of the male officers harass the occasional female prisoner, and it always made him feel ill. He usually did what he could to distract those officers or make up some excuse for them to leave. Jenna was something else though. She harassed men and women and had occasionally copped a feel. He shook his head. Some people shouldn't be in law enforcement.

Inuyasha sagged gratefully back into the hard bench. He had not been looking forward to an afternoon listening to that creepy officer's commentary. The way she looked at him made his skin crawl. He wasn't used to feeling vulnerable. He tried to distract himself by finding pictures in the crackled patterns of the concrete walls. Time oozed by slowly.

…

Sango looked up at her clock. It was approaching 4:30, and Inuyasha was still not back, and he had yet to call. It had been a little over 2 hours since the phone fiasco, and she was starting to worry. He hadn't been answering his phone. It was all very odd, considering the vehemence with which he had protested the imposition on his work time.

She groaned. _Deanna's gonna kill me if this project for Kosha Industries is late_, she thought. As the Assistant Art Director, it wasn't usually Sango's job to do mock-ups, but with Inuyasha MIA, that's just what she was doing at the moment, since the other designers were all swamped. She was too, actually, but it was part of her job to pick up the slack where others couldn't. Trimming the last brochure with her X-acto knife, she stacked them all neatly into a folder to take to Deanna, the Art Director.

She nearly smacked into Miroku again as she went up the stairs.

"You know, sometimes I think you're doing that on purpose," she laughed.

"For all I know, _you_ could be too!" Miroku waggled his eyebrows and winked at her.

"Ah, but _you're _the one with the _reputation_," Sango said, turning to go up the rest of the stairs.

"My reputation is that of a flawless gentleman, I'll have you know!" he called after her.

_More like flawless flirt,_ she thought, rounding the corner at the top of the steps.

Arriving at the Art Director's office, Sango tried to look as calm as possible. The brief exchange with Miroku had managed to calm her nerves somewhat, but she was still worried.

"Oh, hello Sango! Come on in!" Deanna chirped. "Did you get those mock-ups from Inuyasha?"

"Actually, I had to do them myself. Inuyasha seems to have, well, disappeared for the moment."

"What?"

"He left to get some paper we were out of just before lunch, and when I called, he was on his way back. That was around 2:15. I haven't heard from him or been able to get a hold of him since," Sango said worriedly.

"…I see." Deanna frowned. "Well, he can be somewhat…erratic in his behavior, but it's unusual for him to leave a job hanging like this…"

"I know. I don't know what to do."

"Is there anyone else you can call who might know where he is? Maybe a family member?" Deanna asked.

"Not that I'm aware of. His emergency contact was listed as someone unrelated to him named 'Totosai,' but he lives Seattle."

"Hmmm," Deanna tapped her pen on her desk. "Well, try giving him a call anyway. It's possible he may know something."

Sango sighed. "Alright, I'll give it a shot. And let me know if those mock-ups are okay for tomorrow so I can make any last-minute changes."

"Will do. Hopefully this will sort itself out. See you later."

"Yeah," Sango agreed. "Thanks." She left the office, her mind working furiously at what she would do about Kosha Industries if Inuyasha couldn't be found soon. The brochure mock-ups weren't the only things he was supposed to have been working on for them.

…

Inuyasha looked at the clock through the bars of his cell. It was almost five. A thought struck him.

"Hey, aren't I supposed to get a phone-call or somethin'?" he asked loudly. He had been so absorbed trying to figure out who could have done this to him and why that he had completely forgotten about calling anyone.

"Yeah, I suppose you do," said officer Meyers. He heaved himself out of his chair to go to Inuyasha's cell.

Suddenly, the door banged open, and in waltzed a man with long dark hair, black eyes, and a distinctly aristocratic air—

"—Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha realized after a moment, since his normal appearance was concealed by a strong charm.

Officer Meyers had nearly fallen back into his chair when the door banged open, and now he stood with his hand on the arm, looking curiously like a deer about to be hit by an oncoming car.

"I see you have my fugitive," Sesshoumaru pronounced evenly.

Officer Meyers regained is composure. "Excuse me sir, but he is currently a prisoner of the Chicago police, and you certainly cannot…" He lost his nerve at the cool look Sesshoumaru gave him. "Er…"

"I require the presence of your Chief, officer," Sesshoumaru said without inflection.

"I—I can't leave the prisoner un—unattended, sir, and—" Meyers stuttered.

"You have a telephone, do you not?"

"Of—of course. I'll call him. Yes. Just a minute." He scampered behind the desk and nervously picked up the phone.

Throughout this exchange, Inuyasha was staring incredulously at his older half brother, who he had not seen in almost 70 years. In fact, he had been avoiding him, and doing an admirable job of it up until now, considering that Sesshoumaru was a very powerful Inu-Yokai. The pieces of what had happened were starting to fall into place, but Inuyasha wasn't sure he could believe it. _Sesshoumaru? File an accusation of nude robbery?_ The idea was simply preposterous. _And yet,_ Inuyasha thought, _and yet, that's the only thing that fits. The man who never smiles may have finally developed a twisted sense of humor. Or maybe it was always there and I just never noticed…the fucking bastard. I bet he thinks this is hilarious._

Officer Meyers was speaking with the Chief on the phone. "—yessir, a man is here, the prisoner called him Sesshoumaru, I think—yes, long dark hair, very tall—yes he wants the prisoner, but we can't possibly—what? You can't be—alright see you in a minute." He hung up. "The Chief is on his way," he informed Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru merely nodded curtly.

Awkward silence descended upon them, though Sesshoumaru seemed unaffected, stoic as ever. For once, Inuyasha had decided to keep his big mouth shut after realizing that Sesshoumaru was the architect of his current predicament. Knowing how the demon usually planned things, he knew the only way out of this without embarrassing charges on his record was if he left the station in the company of his brother. So he waited. He seemed to be doing that a lot today. He hoped it wasn't going to become a pattern.

The Chief arrived a minute later, the blonde officer from earlier trailing behind him.

"Ah, you must be Sesshoumaru," the Chief said by way of greeting. "This is of course about the chat we had a few weeks ago."

The blonde officer, Jenna, was giving Sesshoumaru a predatory look over the Chief's shoulder.

"Yes," said Sesshoumaru, bestowing a quailing look on the woman, who paled and took a step back. "And I will need you to dismiss your officers. Their presence is not required here."

"Ah, you're probably right about that," agreed the Chief. "Paul, Jenna, you will wait for me back in my office. No questions right now."

The two officers looked at each other. Jenna shrugged and left. Officer Meyers followed, casting the Chief and the strange man a suspicious look.

"Business," said the Chief, rubbing his hands together. "My other half for the successful apprehension if you please."

"Indeed." Shesshoumaru produced an envelope from his inner suit pocket. "When you have removed the contents, burn the envelope. We do not need unnecessary finger prints."

"Yes, of course," the Chief said, flapping his hand in agreement. He slit the envelope and made a quick count. Inuyasha saw the flash of pale green before the Chief hastily stowed it in his pocket. "Well, that seems to be in order."

The Chief walked quickly over to Inuyasha's cell and unlocked the door, standing aside so Inuyasha could exit.

"Oh, there is still the matter of the traffic ticket," he said, looking expectantly at Inuyasha.

"You guys still have my wallet," he snapped.

"Ah! Yes we do, yes we do." The chief went over to the desk and unlocked a safe underneath. He dug through a few things, then pulled out a plastic bag with Inuyasha's wallet, keys, and cell phone, which had a blinking red light indicating at least one missed call.

Before Inuyasha could open his wallet to pay the ticket, Sesshoumaru cut in, "I will pay the ticker." He took a checkbook from another interior pocket. "How much was it?"

"$100. He was doing 15 over, so—"

"Here." Shesshoumaru handed him the check. The Chief beamed at him.

"Thank you very much sir. Shall I see you out?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and swept toward the door, Inuyasha and the Chief following in his wake. The Chief scurried around him and opened the door with a deferential flourish. As they made their way to Sesshoumaru's car, Inuyasha took the opportunity to check his phone. He had 11 missed calls. He started to push the call-back button on one from Sango, but Sesshoumaru interrupted.

"Not now. You may call them once we get to the tow yard." His statement brooked no argument, but Inuyasha ignored that.

"You bastard," he said angrily, "You have no right to tell me when I can and can't call people."

"Cell phones have GPS locators," he said matter-of-factly. "I have turned mine off at the moment for this reason. You will do the same while you are with me. I have no desire to be followed."

"Fine," Inuyasha agreed grudgingly. He turned the phone off. "This had better be good."

…

It was 5:30, and Sango was starting to get a little frantic. Officially, the firm closed at 6 pm on weekdays, and 5 pm on Fridays, but plenty of people stayed at the office until 7 or later. She could tell it was going to be one of those days. Inuyasha was still not back, so she had taken over finishing up the rest of the project for Kosha Industries. Fortunately, the files were well organized; they were perhaps the only things that Inuyasha ever kept organized, if his desk was any indication. Sango lengthened the tracking on the name "Kosha Industries" at the top of the business card design, and kerned the last 's' out a little more. She sighed. There were still two more card designs and several Kosha Industries sub-brand product labels to finish.

There was a knock at her door. Sango looked up from her computer.

"Sorry to interrupt," Kagome said. "I just wanted to let you know that those flash ads are live on the website now, and the new page is finished. I need a copy editor to run the page by before it goes live though. Is there anyone who's a little less swamped I could give it to?"

Sango thought for a minute. "I think Hojo just finished a project, so you can ask him. If he can't do it, try giving it to Emmy."

"Thanks. By the way, have you heard from Inuyasha at all?"

"No, I haven't," Sango replied a little testily, "and I've been stuck with the rest of his Kosha Industries project, and they're coming over for a progress review tomorrow morning."

"Ooh, that sucks," said Kagome. "I do hope he's alright though. I'll feel really bad for yelling at him like that if something's happened to him."

"Me too, but I can't think too hard about it right now. I have a project to finish," Sango said resignedly.

"That's fine. I'll let you get back to work." Kagome gave the other woman a tentative smile and left the office to find Hojo.

…

The minute the doors to Sesshoumaru's black Mazda slammed shut, Inuyasha exploded.

"WHAT IN THE SEVEN HOLY HELLS IS GOING ON?" Inuyasha was livid and had kept a lid on his anger for far too long that afternoon. "Why the _fuck_ did you have me arrested on _false charges_ just so you could find me? What the fuck is _wrong _with you? Why didn't you just fucking show up in my fucking apartment like you have the last two times?" Inuyasha paused for breath. Sesshoumaru merely blinked at him. "_Well? _ Are you deaf or just stupid? Answer me!"

"Hmph. If I could have done that, I would have. You made it difficult by choosing an apartment with enough other units and building security that I would have most certainly been seen had I tried to access the building as a demon. Naraku has also been watching both you and me, and may have done something untoward had he found I attempted to contact you directly." Sesshoumaru explained.

Inuyasha stared at him for a moment, and Sesshoumaru took the opportunity to start the car and pull out of the parking lot. Not only was that the longest speech Inuyasha had heard Sesshoumaru utter in the last 100 years, the demon was admitting that he had had difficulties contacting Inuyasha. However, he wasn't going to forgive his brother just because he had strung more than five words together for once. He was still pissed.

"That doesn't explain the charges," Inuyasha replied waspishly. "I mean, _naked robbery_? I had to listen to that sick woman officer sexually harass me because of that!"

"Hn. You may thank Kagura for that. It was her idea. I was merely going to charge you with petty theft. She thought you might find it amusing."

"Keh! And here I thought you had grown a twisted sense of humor!"

"I did not say I objected to her plan." There was an odd glimmer in Sesshoumaru's eyes.

Inuyasha was dumbfounded. Sesshoumaru _did _think this was funny. "You bastard! That woman looked like she wanted to _rape_ me, and you're laughing about it!"

"I most certainly do _not_ approve of that woman's behavior. She will be dealt with through our yokai network and also removed from her post," Shesshoumaru said sternly.

"She's yokai?" Inuyasha queried. "I couldn't sense a demonic aura."

"She wears a strong charm. She has also been a headache to me for a number of reasons, foremost being that she is one of Naraku's lackeys. The other yokai will see her threatening you as reason enough to punish her."

Inuyasha was somewhat mollified. The fact that the woman was apparently a strong yokai probably explained why he had actually felt threatened earlier. So he wasn't being unreasonably afraid of a physically weak human.

"Alright," said Inuyasha. "So are you going to actually tell me what's going on now?"

"That is why I tracked you down," he replied. "To get straight to the point, you have a very _interesting_ recent hire in your web and IT department at AdHOC."

Inuyasha was getting a lot of surprises today. "_Kagome?_ You can't be serious! That woman is _such_ a pain!"

"Perhaps," he agreed. "But she is also a very, very powerful Spiritualist. I have not seen her equal in my more than 700 years of living."

"But, Kikyo is strong—" Inuyasha began.

"Yes, your ex-girlfriend's powers are unusually strong, and she is skilled, but she does not hold a candle to Kagome."

"You're saying—"

"I believe Kagome may rival the Egyptian Isis of legend more than 6 thousand years ago. Like her, Kagome's power is probably strong enough to extend her lifespan by several hundred years."

"…Good lord," Inuyasha breathed. "Greater even than Midoriko?"

"Most certainly," Sesshoumaru said.

There were few of such power, and those were worshiped as some of the first Gods, among them Isis, Nut, Odin, Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva, Shakti, Zeus, and Amaterasu. Humans both created and became them.

"So what the hell are we supposed to do about this?"

"Protect her," Sesshoumaru said simply. "Her power is likely to emerge in stages and bursts, and she will probably hurt herself and others in the process if the transition is not properly controlled."

"We're demons," Inuyasha reminded him. "We're the ones vulnerable to her power. If we get near her, she could fry us!"

"Me, yes," Shesshoumaru said. "You, it is unlikely. You are half human, and your mother was a strong Spiritualist in her own right. Her blood should protect you sufficiently."

"_Should,_" Inuyasha muttered darkly.

"There is another reason she will need protection," Sesshoumaru continued. "Naraku may notice her strengthening aura, if he hasn't already. I do not think she should meet the same end as our father and your mother."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. He did not like recalling his parents' grisly fate a little over 200 years ago. Inutaisho and Izayoi had sacrificed their lives in an attempt to kill Naraku. But Naraku had survived, albeit in a severely weakened state. He had slowly been gaining his strength back over the last 200 years. Recently, however, he had seemed more interested in the pursuit of monetary power than anything else. It appeared now though, that Naraku's interests were deeper and more sinister than he had anticipated.

Presently, they arrived at the tow yard. Sesshoumaru pulled up to the gate and informed the attendant that they were there to pick up Inuyasha's car. Inuyasha gave the man a description of his vehicle, and was pointed in the direction of his car. Sesshoumaru followed close behind.

"What are you following me for?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Hmph. I was going to pay your tow fee as well, but with your attitude…"

"Alright, alright. Sheesh."

Inuyasha paused next to his car to dig his keys and phone out of his pocket.

"Before you call your coworkers," Sesshoumaru said, "I must tell you a few more things."

Inuyasha paused mid-dial.

"You will find something important in your trunk that I have had placed there," Sesshoumaru continued. "It is under a blanket. Do not look at it or remove it until you are home and you can be absolutely certain that no one is watching. Keep it hidden in the blanket until you are inside your apartment. You and Kagome will also join me for dinner at Alinea tomorrow night. No arguments, and cell phones must be turned off before you leave your apartments."

"_Dinner?_ With Kagome, the bitch-tastic Spiritual _time bomb?"_

"Yes," replied Sesshoumaru evenly. "I will expect you at 8 pm sharp. Here is the check for the towing fee." He shoved the paper into Inuyasha's hand, turned on his heel, and strode regally back to his car.

Inuyasha grumbled and shook his head. He looked down at his phone, where the glowing white numbers informed him that it was almost 6 o'clock. He finished dialing Sango's number.

It rang twice before she answered.

"Inuyasha!" Her voice was loud enough to make him cringe. "Where have you been?"

"Yeah, about that…"


	2. Awakening

Song excerpts used in this chapter: "Modern Day Catastrophists" by Bad Religion, and "Holiday in Cambodia" by the Dead Kennedys.

Only one industry term for this chapter:

_Leading:_ Refers to the space between lines of text.

This is tight

leading.

This is wide

leading.

WARNING: This chapter contains violent passages. Some descriptions may not sit well with those who are sensitive to violent content.

And without further ado, back to our story!

**Chapter 2: Awakening**

"Inuyasha!" Her voice was loud enough to make him cringe. "Where have you been?"

"Yeah, about that…"

As he drove, Inuyasha related an edited version of the afternoon's events to Sango over the phone. He left out the naked part of the trumped up robbery charge and the incident with the creepy blonde officer.

"…Sounds like you had an eventful afternoon," Sango commented. "And so I really hate to do this to you, but that Kosha Industries project needs to get finished for tomorrow morning. I need you to come back to the office."

Inuyasha sighed. "I was heading back there anyway to drop off the paper," he said, "but I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have to stick around."

"I wish you didn't have to either, but unfortunately we're both going to be stuck here tonight. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Inuyasha's stomach conveniently took that moment to growl in response. "No, and I never got any lunch either."

"Alright, I'll order some take-out for us then. Any preferences?" she asked.

"You should know that after 2 years of late nights at the office all I ever want is ramen," he said, "And at this point, I really don't care what restaurant it comes from."

"Pff. Of course. It never changes. I'll dig out a menu from my desk and place the order."

"My stomach thanks you," Inuyasha said.

"Indeed. See you soon."

"Yep." He hung up. Inuyasha turned on the radio, twiddling the dial to see if anything good was on.

"—Kim Jong Il has increased the number of soldiers near the border with South Korea," a newscaster relayed. "Seoul has released a statement saying—" He flicked the dial again.

"—listen to the warnings

verify all your fears  
>there's a world outside<br>that's ready to blow  
>and we're all to blame<br>when it finally explodes—"

Inuyasha smirked as he changed the station again. Ah, Bad Religion. How appropriate to the brief news bite he'd caught. But he didn't want to think about anything like that right now. He just wanted to escape briefly. He found a station playing, "I Kissed a Girl." That would do. Of course, he'd never mention it to anyone, and he'd change it back to a metal station or something before he got to the office parking garage.

…

"Thank you so much, Hojo!" Kagome grinned. "So you think you can have it back to me by tomorrow afternoon?"

"Sure can," Hojo replied. "I'm heading out now, but it shouldn't take me too long to get done tomorrow morning."

"That's fine. I'm leaving too, as soon as I let Sango know that you were able to take the assignment. See you tomorrow!" She turned and left his office.

Hojo sighed quietly as she walked away, enjoying the way her suit pants skimmed her figure. It seemed he always ended up attracted to the new female hires, but they never seemed interested in him. Actually, there had even been a young male copy editor who Hojo had taken a brief fancy to (much to his own surprise), but the young man had left the company about 6 months ago to be nearer to his family in Memphis.

Hojo's own family was native to Chicago, and there was an entire clan of them. They'd probably have a collective conniption fit if he ever even entertained the possibility of moving elsewhere. When he'd travelled to New York to visit a friend last year, they'd spent three days warning him about the dangers of the city and some odd new strain of Staph bacteria that you could supposedly pick up on the beaches in the area if you weren't careful. He considered himself to be health-conscious, but in his humble opinion, the rest of his family was a clan of hypochondriacs who performed their daily ablutions with a bottle of Germ-Ex in one hand and a fistful of herbal supplements in the other. They'd all probably live in sterilized plastic bubbles if they could.

Hojo pulled himself out of his reverie glanced up at the clock. It was almost 7. He really should get home.

…

"Sango!" Kagome sing-songed as she rounded the corner to Sango's office.

Sango was just hanging up her phone from ordering take-out. "Hey, Kagome. Did Hojo take that assignment?"

"Yep, so I'm out of here for the day. Oh, and did you ever find out what happened to Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, it's a long story, but he's on his way back and everything is fine at this point."

"That's good to hear. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, and good luck on that project for Kosha."

"Thanks, I'll need it. Have a good night."

"You too." Kagome adjusted the strap of her computer bag and headed out.

She arrived at her car, an old Saturn Astra with a bright blue custom paint job. It had originally been silver, but she'd saved up in college to get it painted. It wasn't really that great of a car, but it was her baby nevertheless, and she took good care of it.

Kagome tossed her bags in the back seat before sliding into the driver's seat and starting it up.

"POL POT! POL POT! POL POT!

AND IT'S A HOLIDAY IN CAMBODIA

WHERE YOU'LL DO WHAT YOU'RE—"

She jumped high enough to nearly smack her head on the car ceiling and punched the "off" button. Kagome had left her Dead Kennedys CD turned almost all the way up. Again. _You'd think I'd learn one of these days,_ she thought to herself, pulling out of the space and zipping toward the garage exit.

She turned down the street toward the entrance ramp onto the highway, twiddled the volume down, and then turned the stereo back on. The Dead Kennedys finished their song a little more quietly this time.

…

Inuyasha arrived back at the office at the same time the delivery boy for their take-out showed up. He dug some cash out of his wallet to hand to the kid in exchange for the bag of fabulously smelling white cartons. The boy thanked him, hopped back into his car, and sped off. Inuyasha's stomach grumbled.

"Shut up, you," he snapped at it. "I'll feed you in a minute."

He shoved open the door and made his way to the elevator, pushing the call button. AdHOC occupied two floors of a 20-story office building, the 7th and the 8th, and he wasn't in the mood to climb stairs.

…

Sango was sitting at her desk with chin resting on her hand, her computer screen casting its light weirdly on her face and making her look even more tired than she already was.

"Hey," Inuyasha said when he poked his head into her office. "I've got food."

Sango's face brightened a little. "Thank goodness. I think I'm about to keel over here."

"You and me both," he said, plunking the plastic bag of cartons on her desk. "I'm gonna go get my laptop and I'll hook it up to your extra monitor so we can get this done faster. Feel free to go ahead and eat." He shrugged off his coat as he left, folding it over his arm.

"Thanks," she replied, reaching for the first carton.

…

Kagome pulled into her assigned spot behind her apartment building, drumming happily along to her music on the steering wheel. She turned the car off, this time remembering to also turn the stereo volume down, and got out of the car. Kagome slammed the front door and opened the back to get her computer bag off the seat. The streetlight overhead flickered out.

Something hit Kagome in the back, knocking the wind out of her. She stumbled forward, catching herself on the edge of the seat. She turned to see what had hit her, and a pair of glowing orange eyes filled her vision.

Her gasp was cut off by the hand that went over her mouth. Another pair of hands grabbed her and hauled her away from her car.

Kagome struggled in the dark, kicking out, and came into contact with what she thought was a shin. Someone grunted. A fist closed the distance with her gut. She tried to cry out, but the hand over her mouth was firm.

She managed to wiggle one arm free to elbow the person holding her in the stomach. He didn't yell, but his grip loosened just enough for her to break free.

She started to run toward her building, but one of the attackers knocked her down. He grabbed the back of her neck, grip burning her skin strangely. His breath came close to her ear. He smelled like ozone.

"Where d'you think you're goin' girlie?" His soft voice crackled with electricity.

Kagome tried to get up, but his grip was like iron. Terrified, she heard the steps of the two others approaching behind her.

They moved on her at the same time, grabbing her middle and her legs. The one who had hold of her neck pulled her face close. His eyes were white, and they seemed to pulse with lightning. Kagome vaguely registered the strangeness of that observation, discerning their lack of humanity as some basic level.

She doubled her efforts to get away, trying to twist out of their grip. The back of her neck burned. The other two men held on to her tighter, with enough force to leave bruises.

"Don't worry," the white-eyed one whispered close to her cheek. "We ain't gonna kill you. Naraku likes you a little too much, y'see. But…" he licked her cheek, leaving a small trail of sparks that singed her skin.

A force deep inside Kagome snapped.

A terrible pain tore inside her as something pushed toward her skin. A flash of gold ate up the darkness.

Three horrible shrieks rent the air. A transformer exploded from the shock wave, sending the buildings on the street into darkness. Several cars caught fire.

Kagome hit the ground as her attackers' grip suddenly disappeared. She rolled onto her side and briefly saw that her forearms glowed with a golden pattern of spirals that formed a pair of bracers as the design wound its way up. Then all was dark.

She awoke lying on the grass, a cool hand on her forehead and several concerned faces bent over her. Someone must have moved her off of the sidewalk leading up to the building.

"Are you alright?" An older man with round glasses asked her.

"I—I think so," she said a little dazedly. "Mostly I just feel sore…And I have a headache," she added as an afterthought. Things were still a little hazy, and she couldn't focus her eyes properly; everything seemed to have a gold cast to it. She must have hit her head on the pavement.

"Do you remember what happened?" A small, mousey-haired woman queried gently.

"Those things—some guys—they attacked me," she started. "I—I tried to run and they grabbed me. There was an explosion—" She faltered. Where were those men…things…anyway? She remembered their grip leaving her, and falling, but…

Their collective scream surfaced in her mind. Her eyes widened.

"What happened to them?" She asked, suddenly struggling to sit upright. The woman held her and helped her sit up. Kagome looked around, and saw a small crowd was starting to gather.

"Well, we're not entirely sure, actually," said the man, polishing his glasses on his shirt. He looked back down the sidewalk toward the parking lot.

She followed his gaze, trying to make out the misshapen lumps on the sidewalk, which were lit by an eerie orange glow. Several cars were on fire; others were already twisted debris at the far end of the parking lot. In a stroke of luck, her car was not among them. Sirens pierced her brain as two fire trucks arrived on the heels of three patrol cars. Bringing up the rear of the frenetic procession was an ambulance.

"I—I need to see—" she started, trying to stand.

"Oh, honey, you really shouldn't—" the woman began.

"Please," Kagome said a little desperately.

"Alright. Let me help you." She and the graying man each put an arm around Kagome, helping her to her feet. The others, who had been hovering silently in the background, moved out of the way. The three approached the figures on the ground.

The man and woman helping her averted their eyes as they got close. Kagome, however, could not look away. The flickering light from the fires in the parking lot illuminated a grisly scene.

There were three blackened mounds, ostensibly corpses, flesh charred and jackets melted onto the sidewalk. Bones in varying shades of gray and black poked out at odd angles. Their skulls were laid bare, strangely misshapen with the hair mostly gone. Their eye sockets were almost empty, and whitish goo oozed out and over cheekbones, bizarre tears of the dead. A breeze blew light ashen flesh from what might have been a shoulder.

Kagome yanked her gaze away, turning and falling to her knees, trying to control the dry heaves that wracked her body. The other two were immediately by her side. The woman gently pulled Kagome's hair back in case something actually came up.

"What—what—?" Kagome barely managed. She noted vaguely that she still had those weird markings on her forearms, though they had faded and looked a little like a henna tattoo.

"We don't know," the woman said. "We thought maybe the transformer explosion…but you're okay, and the fires are all the way over there. Maybe they were thrown. It's the only explanation anyone can think of…"

"It's—It's horrible," Kagome said. "Their eyes, they—they've been _melted."_

"I know honey. It'll be okay." She gave Kagome a small squeeze.

"A couple paramedics are coming," the man said, watching two figures dashing toward them across the parking lot. "And an officer," he added, as a third uniformed person joined up.

"Let's get you away from these bodies," the woman suggested. She helped Kagome to her feet, and they made their way back to the grass where they had been a few minutes before.

The paramedics and the cop arrived. They checked Kagome over thoroughly.

"Everything seems to be in working order," the shorter of the medics said. "You know, you are extremely lucky." He looked at her a little curiously, and added, "Especially if those bodies back there were any indication." The medic handed her an ice pack for the small knot on her head, which Kagome gratefully accepted. They left her then to make sure that no one else had been hurt. The officer, however, stayed.

"Hello there," the officer offered a smile, "My name is officer Marion Brand. I need to ask you a few questions, if you can manage," the brown-haired woman finished gently.

Kagome sighed and gave a small nod.

The officer reached into her coat and brought out a small notebook and a pen. She looked at Kagome intently from her spot on the grass.

"Hon, you're shivering like mad," Officer Brand said. "Where's your jacket?"

Kagome suddenly realized that she _was _in fact shaking. Hard, actually. Her body was starting to get over the shock and had started to react to the chill autumn air. It made sense now why she had seen the markings on her forearms; her jacket must have come off when she broke away from one of the attackers.

"Ummm…" Kagome's teeth chattered a little. "I—I think it's in the parking lot…"

"Well, why don't we get it before I start the questions so you don't freeze, alright?"

"K-kay." Kagome started to stand up, and the officer helped her to her feet, supporting some of her weight. Officer Brand's head was practically in Kagome's armpit, but they managed well enough.

In the bright white light of the flood-lamps that had been turned on a few minutes ago, Kagome was able to clearly make out the bright blue paint of her car. The pair shuffled towards it at Kagome's direction, and she was thankful that she had parked on the opposite end of the lot. The cars that had been on fire had been mostly put out, their remnants now skeletal and strange. Smoke and steam drifted through the air, twisting patterns in the stark, artificial light.

Kagome was retracing what she was pretty sure had been her attempted escape path back to her car. Soon enough, she spotted a light gray mass of cloth on the ground.

"That's it," she said, starting to lean down to pick it up.

"Let me," said officer Brand, gently pulling Kagome back so she leaned against one of the cars. She picked up the jacket and handed it to her, and she gratefully shrugged it on. It had been torn at the shoulder seam on the left side, but it was otherwise unharmed.

"Well, we might as well start the questions here," officer Brand stated. "Can you tell me what you remember? Please be as detailed as you can," she added. She waited, pen poised over her notebook.

Kagome closed her eyes, brow furrowed in recollection.

…

Inuyasha and Sango were stuck. No matter how many times they'd rearranged the text and images on the last set of packaging labels, it didn't all fit.

"This is ridiculous!" Inuyasha exclaimed in exasperation. "Why on earth they need a fucking _novel_ on the back of a frozen dinner is beyond me!"

"It's supposed to evoke feelings of _love_ and—" Sango paused for dramatic effect, "—your mother's beautiful, delicious, mouth-watering _arte di cottura!"_ She cocked an eyebrow at him. "They want to sound _authentic_," she added sarcastically.

"Keh! Well, their sappy prose and random flowery Italian words are keeping us from getting this done!" He grouched.

"You could at least try to have a sense of humor," Sango snapped at him.

"Whatever. I just want to finish this and go home."

"You're not the only one."

"Keh…Can't we just get rid of these two useless sentences in the middle? It would solve the problem completely."

"No, we've been over this already."

"But—" Inuyasha started.

"This is the copy they approved, and we can't change anything about it tonight. We'll have to try to get their approval at the meeting tomorrow morning," she stated firmly.

"Oh, _that_ will be a fun discussion." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Seeing as we _warned_ them when they asked for this much text that it probably wouldn't fit."

"Yeah," Sango agreed, "They don't particularly like it when they're wrong."

"They should just do it themselves if they're going to be this damn picky," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Don't say that," Sango admonished. "You know they're like 40% of our business."

"Yeah, yeah…and they can always take their business somewhere else. I'm aware," snapped Inuyasha.

"Then let's quit complaining and figure this out."

…

Kagome finished her explanation of what had happened as well as she could.

"So the last thing you remember is the explosion?" Officer Brand asked.

"Yes," sighed Kagome, _more or less, _she thought. _But the glowing arm tattoos appearing out of nowhere are just too weird, and she'd never believe me anyway._

"And the attackers were holding on to you when the explosion happened?"

"Yes," Kagome repeated.

"Now that _is_ odd…" Officer Brand said, almost to herself. "They were completely destroyed, and yet, here you are…not that that's a bad thing of course!" She added hastily.

But Kagome wasn't really listening. Her gaze flowed right through the petite police officer, focused on a train of thought she was liking less and less by the second.

_It had to have been the explosion,_ Kagome thought_. There's just no other reasonable explanation…except that I'm fine when I shouldn't be, by all logic. I should be burnt to a crisp along with them. Unless…unless it was somehow something _I _did. But there's just no way—_

"—back to your apartment?" Was all Kagome heard the officer say.

"W—What?" she asked, jerked back to earth.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Asked officer Brand. "I know the medics cleared you, but—"

"Oh! No, no I'm fine," she interrupted hastily. "I was just thinking."

"Of course," smiled the officer. "This must be quite traumatic for you. I was just asking if you would like me to walk you up to your apartment."

"Um, that's alright… I think I can manage on my own now. My head has mostly stopped spinning and there's an elevator."

"If you're sure…" Officer Brand said. She rushed on, "Well, you've been through a lot, so here's my number if you need anything. I don't know if you have family here or what, but if you decide you want to see a councilor or just need someone to talk to, you can call me, okay?" She pressed a card into Kagome's hand, a look of concern on her round face.

"Thank you," Kagome said, accepting it. She gave the officer a strained smile. "If it's alright though, I'd like to go inside and get away from…this. And… don't worry, I'm going to call a friend." She turned to head toward the back door.

Officer Brand sighed. "Alright. If you need anything, you know how to find me." Kagome nodded with her back turned and moved gingerly away, paying heed to her various aches and pains.

…

Once inside her third floor apartment, Kagome collapsed on her old beige futon that served as a couch. She shook uncontrollably, tears leaking from the corners of her brown eyes, breath coming in short gasps. With trembling hands, she managed to unzip the outside pocket of her computer bag and retrieve her cell phone from its inner pocket.

She hesitated. Kagome didn't really have anyone she could call. Her family lived in Cleveland, and she had only just moved to Chicago after getting her Master's degree at Northwestern. She didn't have any real friends yet. She had Sango's number, and Miroku's, but she knew that Sango was probably still at the office, trying to finish the project for Kosha Industries. That left Miroku as the only person in the entire city who might be able to help her. He wasn't exactly a friend yet, but he was her supervisor as the Assistant Director of IT and Web Development. She knew him well enough, and this was more or less an emergency. She pushed the call button.

…

Miroku was humming to himself as he washed the dishes. He had made himself an extravagant dinner that evening, having decided that he was sick of eating pasta with marinara sauce every night for the last two weeks. Not that there was anything _wrong_ with pasta, but it did get boring after a while. So, Miroku had decided to treat himself. The delicate lobster bisque sat comfortably in his full stomach as he bustled around the kitchen. He heard a soft musical tune carry over the sound of running water in the sink. He turned the water off, realizing it was his phone going off in the dining room.

Miroku picked the phone up, looking at the screen to see who it was. Kagome's name was lit up in white. He frowned. She'd never called him outside of business hours. _Well, first time for everything_, he thought.

"Hi Kagome," he said when he answered it.

_Silence._

"Kagome? Are you there?" He thought he heard breathing in the background. Maybe she had butt-dialed him?

"Kagome?" Miroku said again.

_No answer._ He moved to hang up, thinking she must have called by accident.

"Miroku!—Wait, I—" came Kagome's strangled voice.

"Kagome! What's wrong?"

"I, well, this—don't take this the wrong way—can you come over? Something…happened, and I, there's no one else, and—"

"Yes, yes of course! What happened?"

"I'd rather not…over the phone, I just…"

"That's okay. Where do you live?"

She told him while he scribbled the address and directions on a scrap of paper.

"You live closer to me than I would have thought," Miroku said. "I'll be there in about 15 minutes."

"O-Okay. Thank you…"

"Of course. See you in a bit." He hung up feeling quite worried. He picked up his rosary, wrapping it around his wrist. He felt the charm's magic slide over him, watching the marks of spiritual ability on his palms disappear.

As he locked up his apartment, a thought occurred to him. Kagome's aura had been feeling a little weird lately, as though some formerly sleeping creature was beginning to stir. The rosary he always wore anywhere outside his apartment had dampened his senses, so he wasn't precisely sure whether he had really felt the shift or not. He was starting to think that those feelings had some merit.

He strode quickly down the one flight of stairs and out the door to his car.

…

Kagome was curled up on the futon, arms wrapped around a light blue pillow that desperately needed to be washed. The thinning fabric cover on the goodwill bargain was originally a bright baby blue, but was now tinged with gray and streaked with her tears. When she had gotten off the phone with Miroku, she had gone to the bathroom to try to wash the strange markings off her arms. On some level, Kagome had known they would never come off, but that hadn't stopped her from scrubbing her skin raw. She had cried into the sink as steam from the too-hot water rose and billowed around her, a comforting embrace. She had stopped scrubbing when she was too exhausted to continue and went back to the living room to wait for Miroku.

The intercom phone next to the front door rang, making Kagome jump a little and signaling Miroku's arrival. She picked up the receiver.

"M—Miroku, is that you?"

"Yes, Kagome, it's me. Can you buzz me in?"

"Y—Yeah, sure." She pushed the entry button, hearing the faint sound it made as the building door was unlocked.

She stared apprehensively through the peephole in her door, opening it when Miroku's distorted figure finally made its appearance in front of her vision.

Miroku's encouraging smile he had so carefully constructed faltered when he saw Kagome's expression as she let him in. It didn't help when he saw that her face was bruised and scratched.

Kagome's ability to speak seemed to have fled entirely. All she could do was stand there as Miroku looked her over carefully. He shut the door softly behind him and stepped forward, taking Kagome's hands in his. Normally, that gesture would be flirtatious, but no such thoughts entered his mind at the moment. He examined her forearms, which besides being an angry red, were tattooed with strange swirling marks. Miroku inhaled sharply.

"Let's sit down," he suggested.

Kagome tried to respond, but it came out as an undignified squeak, so she simply nodded and sat heavily on the futon.

"Now," Miroku said as he sat beside her, "Can you tell me what happened?"

Kagome swallowed hard and haltingly began her second lengthy explanation for the night.

…

Inuyasha and Sango had finally decided that they had no other options. Despite express orders for the text to be a certain size, they had caved and made it smaller. There was simply no other way it was going to fit, even if they made the leading tighter.

"You know they're going to kill us," Sango said again as they packed up their computers.

"It's not like we had any other choice," Inuyasha said for what seemed like the fortieth time.

"I know… At least we saved all of our other attempts so they can see we tried."

"And that had better be enough," Inuyasha grumbled.

Sango sighed. "I hope so. If Bankotsu's at the meeting tomorrow, we should be fine. If it's just Jak though… Well, you know how he is."

"Keh. No freakin kidding. I swear that man has a crush on me too. Talk about awkward."

Sango chuckled. "Pff, Jak flirts with _everyone. _And if he does actually like you that way, maybe if he's unhappy about this he'll be disappointed in your work and leave you alone."

"I can hope," Inuyasha grimaced as he shrugged his coat on.

"Indeed. See you tomorrow, then." She started out the door.

"Wait!" Inuyasha called. Sango turned expectantly. "I almost forgot. I need to get Kagome's phone number from you."

At this, Sango actually burst out laughing, clutching her side as she tried to catch her breath and regain some semblance of composure. Inuyasha glared at her.

"It's not like I actually _want_ to talk to her, you know." He continued to scowl as Sango giggled intermittently. "It's my brother. He wants to have dinner with her and me tomorrow night to discuss some…business proposal or another."

"He's not planning on stealing her is he? We just hired her!" Sango objected. Then she realized something else. "And since when have you had a brother?" Inuyasha had never mentioned anything of the sort before.

"Uh, well…" He hesitated. "We haven't exactly been on the best of terms, and, er, we haven't spoken in quite a while…" _Keh, it's been more than 60 years_, he thought, _and I was hoping I might make it to a century, the bastard._

"If you say so," Sango said, though she still had a gleam in her eye that Inuyasha didn't like. She pulled out her phone. "Here, I'll text you her number."

"Thanks," said Inuyasha grudgingly.

"Have you got it?"

He looked at his phone. "Yup."

"Good. Now let's get the hell out of here," she said, forcefully pulling open the office door.

…

Miroku was looking at Kagome with an odd expression, torn between pity and wonder at the young woman seated next to him.

"Unfortunately…" he began tentatively, "I can't say that you didn't kill those men."

Kagome's eyes went wide with shock. She had expected to be told at worst that she was utterly crazy, and at best that it was just a freak accident for which she was not responsible. But not this. Oh, no, definitely not _this._

"I am actually almost certain that that is exactly what happened," he continued heavily. "You see, well, some humans are blessed, some might say cursed, with, um, spiritual power."

"What? That's ridiculous!" Kagome exclaimed.

He sighed. "It does sound that way a little, doesn't it?"

"A _little?_ It's completely impossible," Kagome said. "The laws of physics don't allow—" She didn't want it to be true. The angry red of her arms where she had scrubbed them said she already knew it was.

"They don't," Miroku agreed. "Yet it is possible. I can't really explain it other than to say that it's the truth."

"You are seriously insane—"

"I can show you if you like," Miroku interrupted as he unwound the rosary from his wrist. He turned his hands palms up so Kagome could see as the last of the rosary came away. Kagome's protests flew from her mind as she watched, riveted, as marks almost identical to hers blossomed on his palms.

"I am similarly gifted," he said, "though not nearly as strong as you. If those are your preliminary marks," he gestured toward the bracer-like designs on her forearms, "Just wait until you have training."

"They'll _grow?_" Kagome squeaked.

"Yes. I can tell you right now from the feel of your aura that your power is nowhere near it's full potential."

Kagome shuddered. "You mean, I'll do more—more things, like, like what happened with those men tonight?" She had killed plenty on her TV or computer screen, as evidenced by the large stack of games threatening to topple over next to her Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, but killing someone for real… that was different.

Miroku sighed. "I hope you won't have to," he said. "But it could become necessary at some point. At the very least, you need training so that it doesn't happen again by accident."

She shook her head, reminding herself of the bizarreness of the whole situation. "Prove your power to me, then," she demanded.

"I suppose a small bit wouldn't hurt after that storm you unleashed." Miroku tried to smile and mostly failed. "Anyway." He held his hands out in front of him, palms facing each other and slightly cupped. A royal purple light formed between his hands, which he let go toward the ceiling. It floated there like some strange firefly before winking out.

Kagome was quite surprised and a little in awe. All she could manage was, "Purple?"

"Yes, everyone who has a gift has a color. Some colors are more common than others. Do you remember the color of yours when it happened?" He asked curiously.

"…Gold. It was gold," she said absently. Her mind was still back with the now-gone purple light hovering gently at the ceiling.

Miroku was staring at Kagome as though she had suddenly grown an extra head. "_Gold?"_ he asked with quiet emphasis.

"Yes," Kagome said, finally looking at him. Seeing his expression, tears again sprang to her eyes, "Is that _bad?_ You're telling me I'm some kind of crazy—"

"No, no! It's not bad at all!" Miroku reassured her. "It's just that gold is _extremely_ rare. You are sure it was not yellow?"

"No, it was definitely gold. It…It had a weird _sheen_ to it and it was deeper than yellow."

"…I see. Well, then we definitely need to get you trained as soon as possible. Not to mention a charm to hide those markings of yours."

Kagome looked at her forearms. "They are kind of conspicuous, aren't they?" She said, feeling a little better now that she seemed to have a course of action, though she still wasn't completely sure that she wasn't going insane. It wouldn't make the "gift" go away, but Miroku had said that it would help keep her from incinerating anyone else without meaning to. Despite the fact that those men had attacked her, she still didn't think they deserved the fate she handed them. Getting thrown in the slammer for a few years? Yes. But fiery oblivion? Not so much.

"Just a bit," Miroku agreed. "I'll drive us over to Fujiwara Studios, since I don't think you've been there before."

"Fujiwara…?"

"It's a martial arts studio, of a unique type. We'll get your charm there, and some better explanations of what's going on."

"Um…Alright, I suppose." She didn't really have much of a choice if she wanted to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Oh, and have you eaten anything yet?" Miroku asked. He was betting she hadn't, since she had said that her ordeal had occurred as she arrived home.

"No, but I'm really not all that hungry…" she said, remembering the corpses with their melted eyes and blackened jaws frozen forever in wide screams.

"Maybe, but you really should try to eat something," he persisted. "We'll stop at a drive-thru, alright?"

Kagome didn't really feel like arguing. "Alright…" she gave in.

…

Inuyasha was relieved to finally be driving home. It had been one hell of a day, and at now just after 9 o'clock, it was also one of the longest ones in a while. The section of freeway he was on was almost empty for a change, which even at this hour was unusual for the city. He might as well call Kagome and get it over with. He was exhausted, and planned on burying himself in his bed as soon as he got home. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and found the number Sango texted him.

"Here goes nothin'…" he muttered to himself as he highlighted the number on the screen and pushed 'call.'

…

Miroku and Kagome were waiting for their food at the window of a Wendy's drive-thru. She had only ordered a small salad and a sprite. Miroku had tried to get her to add chicken to the salad ("You need protein! Using your spiritual energy takes a lot out of you!"), but Kagome simply could not stomach the idea of meat right now. Even a little grilled chicken reeked of charred flesh to her. It was disconcerting, since she normally adored a big juicy grilled steak more than almost anyone, but the thought of it brought images of the corpses to her mind unbidden. Seared muscle hanging off blackened bone. The jagged edge of a gray ribcage. The smell of burnt hair lingering—

A loud and somewhat flat rendition of "The Empire Strikes First" jerked her out of her memories. Her phone was going off.

Miroku was just taking the paper bag from the man at the window. "Who's calling?"

"Not sure," Kagome frowned. "I don't recognize the number." She showed him the phone, which was still going with its song.

"That's odd. Why would Inuyasha be calling you?"

"Dunno. I didn't think he had my number. I certainly didn't give it to him," she grumbled.

"Do you want me to answer it?" Miroku asked.

"That would actually be nice," she said. "I'll trade you." She handed Miroku the phone and took the paper bag and soda from him.

…

Kagome was taking forever to answer the phone, Inuyasha thought. Maybe she'd gone to bed already? She didn't really seem like the type to be asleep at this hour though…

"Hello, Inuyasha," came a masculine voice over the phone.

Inuyasha jumped. _Did Sango give me the wrong number?_

"It's Miroku," the voice clarified.

"What the hell are you doing answering Kagome's phone?" Inuyasha asked indignantly.

"Look, there's been a bit of a…situation, and she doesn't want to talk. Can you meet us at Fujiwara Studios?"

"What do you mean? What happened?" With what his brother had told him earlier, he was suddenly very worried.

"Kagome, well, some guys attacked her, and her… gift woke up."

"_What?"_

"You heard me."

"Is she alright? If they hurt her, I swear, I'll—"

"She's fine, more or less," Miroku cut in. "Mostly just shaken."

"Alright. I'm turning around now. I'll see you at Fujiwara in a few minutes." He hung up.

_She better be alright,_ he thought. _Fucking Naraku. _

I hope you all liked this revision! In addition to combining chapters, some of the dialogue has changed, and I hope it flows more naturally than it did before. I've also been trying to revise the character's inner monologues, and while I'm still not entirely happy with their thought sequences, I think it's improved somewhat. Suggestions on that front especially would be welcome!

-ebj


	3. Explanations and Perturbations

So, in lieu of the usual industry terms, we have a music lesson, a Hindu Goddess, and some dictionary fun instead:

The Prelude by Frederic Chopin referred to in this chapter is "Prelude in E minor, Opus 28, Number 4." It is an _incredibly_ gorgeous piece of music, one of my all-time favorites. I first learned this piece when I was about 14, and have always found it to be wonderfully haunting. When you get to the scene where it shows up, I _highly_ recommend looking it up on youtube (click on one of the two minute versions, preferably this one: .com/watch?v=HiwPzHJ-Pic) to give it a listen. If you do, you will be rewarded with a unique emotional dimensionality to the story, and you'll see why I chose the piece. It will be two minutes of your life well spent. Chopin was an amazing composer. Promise.

_Kali _is an aspect of the Hindu ultimate reality/deity called Brahman. She is primarily a goddess of time and change, and is associated with eternal energy. She is a goddess of death, a destroyer of worlds. However, she has also been revered as _Bhavatarini_ (literally "redeemer of the universe"), and has been comparatively recently worshiped as a mother goddess figure.

And: The word _sepulcher_ can mean either a tomb/place of burial, or a small niche in which to store relics from religious martyrs. In the way I use it in this chapter, aspects of both definitions are intentionally applied/implied.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Explanations and Perturbations<strong>

"Alright. I'm turning around now. I'll see you at Fujiwara in a few minutes." He hung up. So much for going home and sleeping.

…

"Miroku! Why did you tell Inuyasha to meet us there? He is the _last_ person I want to see right now!" Kagome exclaimed furiously.

Miroku closed his eyes in a long-suffering sigh. "I can't explain right now," he said, "but I promise it will make sense when we get there."

"It better." Kagome had more of her snappishness back now that the Sprite had settled her stomach and she had a little food in her. She was still feeling a little disconnected from reality, despite the improvement in her stomach.

They drove without speaking for a few minutes; the only sounds were the swish of the wind past the car and the crunch of lettuce as Kagome finished eating her salad.

"You know," Kagome said flatly as she swallowed the last bite, "I've got like 8 million questions, the most prominent being, 'What the fuck?'"

"I know. Unfortunately I don't have 8 million answers."

Quiet reigned again for a few minutes, with Kagome trying to figure out what she should ask. Queries danced and collided in her head.

"So," began Miroku, breaking a silence that he thought had become a little awkward and unwittingly jerking Kagome out of her confused thoughts. "Just to cover all of our bases here, is there anyone you can think of who might have had something against you?"

"What? Oh…well, umm…" she paused. "I did do some…computer...work, uh, for cash to help pay for grad school…" Kagome looked extremely uncomfortable. She was talking to her boss, after all.

Miroku grinned. "Ah, you mean you were a bit of a hacker?" He guessed, based on her cagey reply.

"Erm…well, maybe a little." She looked sheepishly out the window. "I'm sure it irked some people, but I really don't think they would do something like what happened tonight." She didn't mention that she also wasn't entirely sure her attackers had been human, particularly in light of her newly discovered 'gift,' if said gift was real. "They'd have to find me, first of all, which would be difficult, since we go by fake names…"

"A handle," Miroku stated.

"That would be what it's called, yes."

There was another awkward pause.

"And, uh, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't mention this conversation to anyone," Kagome said.

"Of course not," Miroku said amiably. "You're one of the best hires we've made in a while. I won't compromise your position."

"Uh, well thanks," she said as she distractedly picked up and drained the last of her soda. It burbled loudly at the bottom of the cup.

…

Inuyasha was conflicted. On one hand, it looked like Naraku was already on the move, Kagome was in danger, and his annoying brother had been right about the course of events, as usual. On the other hand, he was extremely tired, grumpy, and despite his (purely academic) worry for Kagome, he was _not_ looking forward to the meeting at Fujiwara. He desperately wanted to turn back around and go home, where he could take off his obnoxious concealment charm and get some shut-eye. He swore to himself that he'd never think a day could get worse again.

As he pulled up in front of Fujiwara Studios, he saw that Miroku's silver Prius was already in the parking lot. Inuyasha smirked. He had been with Miroku when he bought the car.

"_A Prius, Miroku?" he had asked._

"_Of course! I shall have no trouble attracting smart, beautiful women with this lovely," Miroku had replied, patting the vehicle affectionately._

"_You need a car for that?"_

"_Of course not. But it will further accentuate my charms, don't you think?"_

"_Keh! Miroku, no car could accentuate your "charms," even if you attached some strings and hung them from the rear-view mirror."_

"_I wouldn't expect you to understand. After all, _you_ are not a _lady_."_

"_Neither are you."_

A corner of Inuyasha's mouth quirked up at the memory, but soon faded as he parked, got out of his car, and headed for the door.

…

Kagome and Miroku were standing outside the studio door after ringing the bell. Miroku knew that Kaede, the owner, would probably already be asleep, but he didn't have another choice at the moment. And anyway, it would be far from the first time she would have been jarred awake by the very same bell, and the hour was much more reasonable than it could have been. Such were the hazards of running a place like Fujiwara.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Kagome's neck stood up. She shivered, the movement causing Miroku to look over at her.

"Something feels _weird," _she said.

Miroku couldn't feel anything since he had his rosary back on, but he thought he knew what she was noticing. He had just seen Inuyasha round the corner of the building behind Kagome.

Kagome's body turned around almost independently of her mind; she found herself looking straight at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha froze mid-step under Kagome's intense gaze. Her eyes locked with his; he felt like she was looking at something deep within him, turning it over and analyzing its surfaces. _No one_, not even his own brother, had given him such a penetrating, scrutinizing look before. And then he realized _why_ this felt different. Her aura had reached out and was touching his curiously, feeling the energies from which he was made. He felt vulnerable for the second time today. He couldn't move. So he did something he'd never known he could do, much less _tried _to do. He gathered his aura and pushed back against hers.

Kagome stood, pinned in place within the twisting energies. The contact between their auras was incredibly intimate, and she recoiled internally. Her aura seemed insistent though, as if it was telling her to _memorize_ his presence, his very being.

Inuyasha had thought he would be able to push her away. Instead, he found himself wrapped in her energies, and her in his, locked in an archaic dance. Rivers of red and gold rushed around him in swirling eddies, terrifying rapids.

Kagome felt like a small fish tossed over the edge of a waterfall. Their aural embrace wound around and turned in on itself like a liquid Möbius strip. She was out of control. This was _not_ right. And, she suddenly realized at some basic level, _he's not completely human._

They wrenched their auras apart simultaneously. There was a soft _crack!_ and a brief flash of red and gold between them as they separated. Both stumbled drunkenly, tumbling down on the sidewalk as the connection was broken.

Miroku, an older woman, and a young woman with tan skin and raven hair were staring, awestruck, at the pair recovering themselves on the ground. The two women had arrived right after Kagome had spotted Inuyasha, just in time to witness the aural interaction between them. They had all felt, and even been able to _see_ the interplay, despite the fact that they were all wearing charms.

"I see why you woke me up," the old woman said softly to Miroku.

"Yes," he responded absently, bending to help a slightly dazed Kagome to her feet. At the old woman's soft command, the black haired woman went to help up Inuyasha, and the group made their way inside. As they shuffled down through the door, Kagome turned her head and frowned lopsidedly at the young woman helping Inuyasha, who he was already shaking off.

"_You're_ not human either," Kagome proclaimed in an otherworldly voice, "but you're different from _him."_

…

"I'm sorry I couldn't be here to have dinner with you tonight," Sango said, standing in the doorway of her brother's room. Kohaku was busy writing a paper at his computer, an empty frozen dinner tray forgotten on the floor next to his desk.

He sighed. "That's alright. I know you're really busy."

"Yeah, we have a meeting tomorrow with our biggest client…" Sango trailed off. There was a pregnant pause.

"Can I ask you something?" Kohaku said suddenly. He had a small glimmer of hope hovering at the edges of his face.

"Anything," said Sango, relieved he had broken the brief silence.

"How—how are we on finances?"

"Fine. Why do you ask?" She frowned, surprised by the question.

The teenager bit his lip. "Well, we got our grades back today, and I got an 'A' on my math test, so I was kind of hoping we could go out to dinner…"

"Kohaku, that's great!" Sango's face lit up. "And that's the class you've been struggling in, isn't it? Mom and Dad would be so proud of you! Of course we can celebrate!"

Kohaku's smile faltered a little at the mention of their parents. They had been killed in a car accident 6 years ago on the way back from Kohaku's piano recital when he was only 10. He still felt somewhat responsible, and he hadn't been able to make himself touch the instrument since. The piano sat down in the living room, ivory keys quietly gathering dust.

"So… so then can we go tomorrow night?" he asked hopefully.

"Friday is the best day for these sorts of things," Sango beamed. "Where would you like to go?"

"Well, there's a new Greek restaurant downtown that Rin mentioned the other day…"

"Rin? Is that the girl in your class who's been helping you with math?" Sango interrupted.

"Yeah…" Kohaku shifted a little uncomfortably, but said honestly, "She's really smart. She's pretty much the reason I did so well on this last test."

"Oh, well then why don't you ask her if she'd like to come too, since she's been so helpful?"

Kohaku turned eight successive shades of red. "I—I can't do that!" He sputtered.

"Why not? You can tell her your annoying older sister insisted." Sango was amused at her significantly younger brother's embarrassment. At 31, she had gotten over being discomfited about such things. Or so she told herself.

"But, but then she'll think I'm a jerk! Or…or…a coward…" he finished softly.

"You're not a coward," Sango said gently. "If you really don't want to invite Rin, that's okay. I just thought it might be nice for her, given what the teachers have said about her."

"What have they said?" Kohaku asked confusedly. What on earth would the teachers know about his friend that he didn't?

"Well, they said she lives with foster parents, and they seem to think that the situation isn't the best…"

"Oh," he muttered darkly. "That."

"I take it she's told you something definitive?"

"Yeah, but I don't really want to talk about it. She'd probably kill me if she found out I told someone…"

"That's alright. Are you sure you don't want to invite her? She is your friend, after all."

He sighed. "You're right. I guess I'll ask her during study hall tomorrow…"

…

The five stopped abruptly in the hallway at Kagome's pronouncement, staring at her. Her eyes slid in and out of focus, going from brown to glazed in glistening gold. Finally, the shimmering sheen subsided. Kagome straightened up and realized that everyone was looking at her strangely.

"_Why _are you all _staring _at me?" She demanded. "And where—? How did we get in here anyway?"

"You— but you just said, that I'm not—" the black haired young woman was interrupted by the old lady's hand on her arm.

"I think introductions are in order first," said the gray haired woman. "Why don't we go up to my apartment above the studio? I'll make some tea and everyone can get introduced, alright?"

There was a general mutter of assent, and they followed the old woman down the hall.

"Miroku!" Kagome hissed. "_What_ is going on? The last thing I remember is waiting outside!" This was the first time she'd suffered from a bout of amnesia, and it scared her more than the attack earlier. At least she could _remember_ what happened then.

"Shh, it'll all be explained once we get upstairs."

"Don't shush me! I want to know what's going on! And why do _those_ two—" she gestured at Inuyasha and the dark young woman "—make me feel all weird?"

"Kagome, I _told _you—" Miroku started to whisper sharply.

"And come to think of it, I didn't notice before, but _you _and that old lady feel weird too! Just different weird! God, everything is so fucking weird! I swear, I'm heading for the loony bin or something—"

"Kagome, you're _not _crazy—"

Inuyasha was having his own muttered conversation with the old woman, which left the young one trying politely not to listen to either pair. They came to a bolted door, which the old woman unlocked, then made their way up a flight of stairs and through another locked door. They found themselves in a relatively spacious, modestly furnished apartment. Everything was somewhat worn, but remarkably clean.

"Now," said the old woman, locking the door again behind her, "Let's make some introductions." She turned to Kagome and gestured formally towards herself. "My name is Kaede Sato, and I am the owner of Fujiwara Studios. Please just call me Kaede. Ms. Sato makes me feel old," she chuckled. She put her hand on the dark woman's arm. "And this is Kali Haryana. She's a foreign exchange student from India, and she's studying engineering at the University of Chicago. She's also one of my instructors," Kaede said proudly. Kali smiled a little self-consciously and inclined her head slightly to Kagome.

"Ah!" Miroku cut in, "So it is _your_ beautiful face I have seen here on occasion!" He took her hand in his. He didn't see the red flash in her eyes. "How _wonderful _to finally meet you! I—"

"Miroku!" Kaede snapped. "This is _not_ the time!"

Miroku dropped her hand as though he'd been burned. "Oh, uh, yes of course. Please forgive me," he said to Kali. He jumped when he saw red fading from her eyes. His mouth opened in a silent 'O.'

"Anyway," Kaede continued smoothly, turning back to Kagome. "What is your name, dear?"

"It's Kagome Higurashi," she replied a little shortly. "And," she said, rounding on Miroku, "I would _really_ appreciate it if _someone_ _would tell me what is going on already_."

"Tea first," said Kaede firmly. "Tea makes everything more pleasant."

"But—" Kagome began.

"_Tea."_

…

Sango left Kohaku to his homework, heading towards the bathroom to take a shower before turning in. She paused in front of the closed door to their parents' room, placing her hand on the thick oak panel. _They really would be proud of him,_ she thought. _And not just for the math test. Rin is the first real friend he's had since the crash._ She let her hand slide down the door to the brass knob, looking at the places where its shine had long since been worn off by her parents' hands.

It had been almost a year since she had ventured a look inside. She stood there for a minute in indecision, head bowed into the corner where the edge of the door met the frame. Making up her mind, Sango steeled herself and pushed the door open. It creaked on its hinges, years of disuse and lack of oil making themselves known.

Moonlight flowed through the window, casting ghostly light over various dusty objects. Sango stepped over the threshold into the sepulcher of her memories. By unspoken agreement, she and her brother had left everything in the room as it was. Their parents' clothes lay scattered on the floor where they had dropped them while hastily changing into nicer outfits for the recital that afternoon. Their mother's lipstick was still sitting open on the dressing table against the wall, its shock of red dimmed by collected dust. There were several ties scattered on the bed where their father had decided which one to wear that day.

Kohaku had played beautifully, Sango remembered. A Chopin Prelude in E minor, its slow chords and lingering melody had hung in the air of the concert hall like a tropical perfume. The audience's entranced silence seemed louder than the applause that followed.

They had all been deliriously happy. A local reporter who'd showed up said he wanted to write an article about Kohaku's performance, saying the boy was surely a prodigy. Their parents had smiled amiably and said they might consider an interview later, but right now they were going out to dinner to celebrate.

_Celebrating._

Kohaku hadn't asked to go out to celebrate anything in the six years since their parents' deaths. It was as though he thought the idea was cursed. Sango almost smiled. Perhaps they were both beginning to heal after all these years. She knew it would probably be a while before they could clean the room she stood in, but it seemed that they might finally be moving forward.

Sango stepped back out of the room, closing the door softly behind her. Turning, she found herself face to face with her younger brother.

He looked at her accusingly. "What were you doing in there?"

…

Inuyasha was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking distinctly grumpy. Whatever he and Kaede had been talking about had certainly not improved his mood. Kaede was bustling around the kitchen while the other three sat at the small table. She pulled five mugs from a cabinet, poured each full of steaming tea, and set one in front of each person at the table. When Kaede pressed a mug into Inuyasha's hands, he started to protest.

"I don't drink tea—" he began.

"You do now," Kaede stated.

_Stubborn old woman_, thought Inuyasha, as he looked down at his steaming mug. It did smell pretty good actually, not that he would ever admit that. Tea was for old people. _Technically you__ are__ old, you idiot,_ he reminded himself. _A whole lot older than Kaede too,_ his inner voice added. Demons aged on pace with humans up until somewhere between the ages of 22 and 30, at which point they stopped, or at least aged so slowly that it became almost imperceptible. So, despite the fact that Inuyasha was more than 200 years old, he didn't look a day older than about 26. He was still _quite_ young as far as demons went.

"—wondering what's going on and whether you're crazy," Kaede was saying, bringing Inuyasha out of his thoughts.

"I think paranoid schizophrenic might be more accurate, but yes," Kagome said warily. She had started to question her earlier acceptance of what Miroku had shown her. She was no longer in complete shock from the attack, and her brain had finally begun to process and analyze events.

"Well, I can tell you you're not crazy until I'm blue in the face, but I think that's something you'll have to come to terms with on your own. I can try to give you some answers, but it will be up to you to see the truth," Kaede said matter-of-factly.

"Alright," Kagome agreed, "What tricks have you got for me?"

Kaede raised a gray eyebrow, but chose not to comment. Instead she said simply, "Miroku, please take off your rosary."

Miroku complied, the marks on his palms once again growing visible. Kagome felt his energy wash over her as the charm released him. She blinked.

"You see?" said Kaede. "Now, don't try to reach out with your aura—"

"My _what?"_

"Ah, you must not remember. That's alright. Some memory lapses are normal when your gift first awakens."

"Apparently," said Kagome. "Explain this aura thing to me."

Kaede sighed. It was going to be a long night. "Everyone has an aura," she began, "that is basically the essence of who they are. It is a reflection, a metaphysical manifestation, of the soul."

"Uh-huh…" Kagome said a little skeptically. She wasn't religious, so she was somewhat ambivalent about the idea of souls and Gods and other such things.

"A soul isn't what you're probably assuming it is," Kaede said, seeming to see Kagome's thoughts. "It's not something religious in nature. It is simply the life force within a person that keeps them existing in the Universe. It both shapes a small part of the fabric of the Universe, and is in turn shaped itself in a continuous loop of reactions."

Kagome nodded slightly. That sounded somewhat more reasonable to her than some sort of transcendent God-given sparkly thing. She got enough of that stuff from her grandfather growing up, and she had done just about everything possible to get away from anything that smacked of organized religion. Despite the sense Kaede's explanation seemed to make, it still had a religious ring to it that Kagome didn't like.

"That still sounds…a little, well…" Kagome trailed off. "I'm still not sure I believe it."

"If it helps," Miroku interjected, "Do not think of this as a matter of belief or faith. Religion is about faith. This is about what _is._"

Kagome frowned, thinking again of her grandfather. "But religious people believe that what they have faith in is what exists."

Miroku shook his head. "Yes and no, but this isn't about whether you think there's a God or whatever that's part of it all. It's only about what we can tell exists. You can believe what you want about whether there is some sort of deity behind it or not."

Kagome sighed. "And I suppose I'll have to accept this premise, or nothing else will make sense?"

Kaede smiled. "You hit the nail on the head."

"Lovely."

"Anyway," Kaede continued, "You can sense Miroku, am I correct?"

"Assuming I'm not insane, yes, I can," Kagome replied. "And if we're going to keep up with this, I should also say that I can sense you, even though you still have a charm on. I can tell that you are the same at some essential level as Miroku, and both of you are different from those two." She gestured at Kali and Inuyasha. "_And_ I can tell you that Kali is the most different, while Inuyasha somehow seems somewhere in between you and Kali, though there's something odd going on with him also that seems like it's on a different kind of spectrum entirely." Kagome finished her little speech. "Is _that_ what you wanted to hear?" she asked a little impudently.

Yet again, everyone was staring at her with their mouths partially agape. Inuyasha was the first to recover himself.

"Just who do you think you are?" He snapped, taking a step toward the kitchen table. "You think you can just waltz in here and tell everyone that you think I'm some kind of freak?"

Kagome looked at him, utterly confused. "I—I never said—"

"Oh yes you did! You said there was something about me that was 'on a different spectrum entirely!' If _that_ doesn't scream 'freak,' I don't know what does!"

"I did_ not_ call you a _freak!" _Kagome shouted back. "If _anyone _is a freak here, it's me! _I'm _the one who's going fucking crazy here and—"

"Language!" Kaede interjected loudly. She rounded on Inuyasha, "Calm down. Kagome doesn't know the half of what's going on, so don't accuse her of anything. In case you didn't notice, she just told us all of that _even though Miroku is the only one who isn't still wearing a charm."_

Inuyasha bit back the retort he had ready. Kaede was right. He went and leaned back against the wall, pretending he didn't care. "Keh!" he muttered, crossing his arms and looking stubbornly out the kitchen window. _Still, the nerve of her! Invading my aura like that and then basically telling me I'm especially strange! Everyone in this goddamn room is strange!_

"Now," said Kaede to Kagome, "Let's try an experiment, shall we? I'm going to take off my charm, and I want you to compare what you sense from us."

"If you insist."

Kagome watched as familiar swirling marks appeared on Kaede's wrinkled cheeks, ran down the sides of her neck, and disappeared into her shirt. Kagome frowned as she studied the two.

"Let's see…you and Miroku feel similar in two ways…I—I guess on one level you feel human, if that's any way to describe it, and on another level, you feel like _power,_ though Kaede has more of that than Miroku." She closed her eyes almost involuntarily. "And each of you has a—a, well, I'd call it a signature, I guess, something that feels like _you_ personally. Also, Kaede has reached her potential. Miroku—Miroku has not." She opened her eyes. Miroku was grinning.

"You can _tell_ that? I thought I was stuck at this level!"

Kaede rolled her eyes. "I've been telling you the same thing all along, you know."

"Maybe, but now I have it _from multiple sources_," he said gleefully.

"I wouldn't count myself as a _source_ yet," Kagome said a little exasperatedly.

"To the contrary," Kali said softly from her spot in the corner. Up until that moment, she had remained silent, drinking her tea and observing. "I am curious what you will think of me," she said, removing her charm.

Kagome watched with bizarre fascination as Kali removed a thick golden bracelet from her wrist. Her cheeks took on an ethereal blue blush, black hair lengthened past her waist, and a red and white design twirled its way across her forehead and down her cheeks. Her black irises were now ringed in red.

Kagome gasped. "I—you—but—you, you don't feel…"

"Human?" Kali chuckled. "That would be because I am not. I am a demon of the elemental variety, the last of a clan of Destroyers."

"D-destroyers?" Kagome asked nervously.

"Destroyers of evil," Kali clarified. "We're a lot like the human demon Slayers, but I like to think we're more discriminating—and more efficient," she added.

"Demon—Slayers?"

"Are pretty much what their name tells you they are," came Inuyasha's interjection from his post against the wall. Kali threw him a glare.

"What he said," she grumbled.

"But…demons?" Kagome felt like an idiot with her one and two word questions, but she couldn't help it. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

"Demons are the energetic opposites of humans," Kaede answered. "They are not all evil, and they are not all good, pretty much the way humans are. There used to be equal numbers of each, but humans got more efficient at killing as time went on—"

"Basically demons thought they could get by on their brute strength," Kali interrupted, throwing a significant look at Inuyasha, "And of course humans outwitted them every time."

"That would be the blunt version," Kaede said with a little annoyance.

"It's the efficient one," Kali replied.

"You and your efficiency," Kaede sighed. "You'd think after how long you've been around, you'd have developed some patience."

"How old _are_ you?" Kagome asked in wonder, "You don't look any older than 22—"

Kali smiled. "I appreciate the compliment. I am no longer entirely sure of the date of my birth, but I have lived for almost a thousand years."

"A _thousand—?"_

"Yes, a thousand. Inuyasha over there is a baby. He's only a little over 200."

Kagome just sat there, shocked; this latest information was just too much on top of everything else.

"I may be young by _your_ standards, but I am _not _a child!" Inuyasha rejoined petulantly from across the room. He was grumpy and looking for an excuse to fight. And Kali always made a good opponent.

"You have acted like one, hiding from Sesshoumaru all these years and ignoring Naraku's rise over the last century!" she snapped back.

"What do _you _know about my brother or Naraku?"

"More than you, it seems!"

"Kali—" Kaede tried to interrupt.

"Is that so? Well I—" Inuyasha started.

"Do you know Sesshoumaru's having _wife_ problems?"

"Wife—?"

"Or how about the fact that Naraku managed to get himself elected to the House of Representatives last year _in addition_ to taking over New Light Communications?"

"That's just money!" Inuyasha insisted loudly, "It's not like he's been consolidating demonic power—!"

Kagome was listening absently to the argument taking place around her. Clearly, Inuyasha and Kali had known each other for quite a while, the way they were shouting. Their barbs confused her though. _Naraku? Demonic power?_ New Light Communications she had heard of, but she thought it was run by a collective board.

"_Just money? JUST MONEY? _ Inuyasha, have you lost your mind?" Kali shouted. "Do you have _any_ idea what he could _do_ with that money and political power?"

"Guys—" Miroku tried.

"Oh, _come on!_ What's he gonna do with the _government?_ It's incapable of doing _anything_ remotely useful, so I don't see how Naraku could use such an impotent organization to—"

"You _selfish—ignorant—" _Kali took a step toward Inuyasha with each insult, "—_fool!" _ Inuyasha had taken his charm off, his ears appeared laid back against his head, fangs bared and his claws visible. Kali raged on, _"_How _dare _you_—" _her eyes were red flames now.

"GUYS!" Miroku roared, with an accompanying flash of purple. Kali and Inuyasha jumped. "That's better," said Miroku softly. He almost never raised his voice. "As pressing as all of that is," he acknowledged, "we have a more immediate problem."

Kagome was sitting on her chair, knees pulled to her chest, staring unblinkingly through Inuyasha and Kali. Her eyes were rimmed in gold, and they could all sense her energies swirling in nervous loops around her. Her mouth formed silent words, and she ran her tongue along her lower lip every few seconds.

Kali looked down at Kagome and said a little sheepishly, "I—I think we broke her."

Miroku waved a hand in front of Kagome's face. Her only response was for the gold on the inner edges of her eyelids to creep inward, forming the beginnings of a golden sheen.

Kaede frowned. "I think her senses might be a little…overloaded. Why don't we all put our charms back on and see what happens?"

There were rustles of movement as they all replaced their charms, looking expectantly at Kagome. The gold in her eyes receded slowly. She blinked at them owlishly.

And then she toppled sideways off her chair.

Miroku and Inuyasha rushed to catch her, smacked heads, and the three of them ended up in a heap on the floor. Kali cackled at their little mishap, and concern and amusement fought for purchase on Kaede's face.

"Are you alright…children?" Kaede asked, a chuckle in her voice.

"Yeah…"

"Keh."

"Urrrrggg…" was Kagome's reply, "I have the world's _worst_ headache…"

"I'll get you some Aspirin, then," Kaede said as she helped the three untangle themselves and get to their feet. Kaede went off to the medicine cabinet, while the remaining four reseated themselves at the table.

"So," began Miroku, "do you remember any of what just happened?"

Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose. "Actually yes, and I've also remembered what happened earlier…though I kind of wish I didn't." Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, caught his eye, and they both turned a perfect shade of tomato red. "You saw the whole thing, didn't you?"

"Er, well, kind of…" Miroku said evasively.

"You did or you didn't."

"Well, we were all there. And really, you shouldn't be embarrassed. It was actually rather fascinating…"

"You would think so, wouldn't you, you perv—" Kagome was now rubbing her temples, partially due to her headache, and partially to hide her face from Inuyasha.

"It was just energy, you know—"

"Here's your Aspirin, Kagome," Kaede said as she came through the kitchen door.

"Thanks," Kagome muttered, taking the proffered tablets and knocking them back with the last of her now cold tea.

"Well, it looks like we need another chair. I'll go get one from the dining room." Kaede started to leave.

"No, no! I'll get one," insisted Miroku, latching on to the change of subject like a lifeline. "Take mine." He got up and offered his chair to Kaede.

"Ever the gentleman," the old lady said with a smile.

"Keh."

"You should learn to be nicer to your elders, Inuyasha."

"I will when my elders stop nagging me," was his response.

"Kagome said she remembers everything that happened this time, including the aura thing earlier," Kali filled Kaede in, brushing aside Inuyasha's snide retort.

Miroku navigated his way awkwardly through the kitchen door, chair in tow. He set it at the end of the table and plopped down to listen.

"I see. Well I hope that this means you'll accept what's happening now," Kaede said to Kagome.

"Welll…" Kagome was still waffling. "I guess I can't entirely _deny_ it anymore, at least on an intellectual level, but I think it'll be a while before I can really accept it." The markings on her arms seemed to pulse. She ignored them.

"Understandable. I know we've avoided the subject so far, but can you tell us what happened earlier tonight with the attack?"

Kagome scrunched up her face. "I've already told Miroku…and I'd rather not relive it again tonight if that's alright…"

"That's okay I guess. We will need to talk about it later though. Do you still think you can still work with us for a little bit this evening?"

"I suppose. Just don't…don't go all crazy on me like you did earlier." She shot a glare at Kali and Inuyasha.

"I think we can keep a lid on that for the time being." Kaede looked at the pair significantly.

"Yeah, whatever," huffed Kali.

"Keh."

"Well that's settled then. The first order of business, I think, will be to get Kagome a charm." Kaede stood up and went to what looked like an ordinary painting of some pomegranates. With a touch of power and a soft word none of the others could quite make out, the painting swung slowly open like a door. Behind it was a black metal safe. Kaede twiddled the numerical dial a few times, said another word of power, and the safe clicked open. She pulled out what looked like an old brown shoebox and set it in front of Kagome.

"Now," said Kaede, "I want you to place your hand on the lid and focus your power _gently._"

"Um, how?"

"Just close your eyes and turn your focus inward. Concentrate. There should be something there that feels a little different than before. Grab onto it. Make it grow in your minds eye. Think about it running down your arm to your hand…"

Kagome frowned a little as she tried to follow Kaede's directions as best she could. _There, _she thought. _That's a little odd…kind of warm._ A soft golden glow blossomed behind her eyelids. _It's so much gentler than last time, with those…demons,_ for she now knew that that's what her attackers had been. They had felt like Kali, but there had been a biting aggression to their auras, an acrid tang that Kali's aura did not have. The golden light enveloped her senses, a warm welcome, and also what almost felt like an apology. She smiled inwardly. _Okay, now go to my hand,_ she thought at it. Kagome felt it glide like a warm liquid down her arm to pool underneath her hand where it lay on the shoebox.

The box gave a sudden rattle as Kagome's hand glowed gold. It shuddered once again and was silent. The glow in Kagome's hand dissipated, and she opened her eyes.

Kaede was beaming at her. "Wonderful! Now, let's see which charm you picked." She opened the lid.

The contents of the box looked like the jewelry bin at a thrift shop. There were necklaces, rings, earrings, and bracelets of every style and color, metal, and bead make. What was odd though, was that they were all shoved against the sides of the box. In the open space at the center lay a gold ankh about an inch long on a golden rope-style chain. Kagome reached into the box and picked it up, holding it up to the light.

"Fascinating…" Kaede breathed. "Absolutely fascinating…"

"Sorry," said Kagome, bringing the necklace down, "but _what's_ fascinating? It's just an ankh. I mean, it's pretty, I guess, but it doesn't seem terribly special."

"So it hides itself even from you…" Kaede said cryptically. "That ankh has a storied history. It is said that it once belonged to Isis herself…"

"Isis?" Kagome queried. "But she's a myth."

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "And you would dismiss such myths even in light of what you have experienced recently?"

"Well…"

"It is told," Kaede continued, launching into storyteller mode, "that the gods of ancient times were really humans with incredible spiritual power. They were able to protect their communities from marauding demons and enact miracles that caused people to worship them as gods. The humans with such powers were also granted the gift of longevity, so many lived for hundreds, and sometimes thousands of years, exalted under many different names…"

"So…where are they now, if they were so all-powerful?"

"Well, despite their power against demons, their gifts did not allow them to harm other humans. As demons became scarcer, communities no longer needed them, and they often went into seclusion. Later, many were martyred, burned as witches, or tortured and killed by the Inquisition. They were gifted with long life, but not immortality," Kaede said a little bitterly.

"That's…not very pleasant."

"Indeed. Now, why don't you put on that charm of yours?"

Kagome complied, undoing the clasp and then re-hooking it around her neck. The mental chatter that had been giving her such a headache seemed like it had been suddenly turned down. She could still 'hear' it if she concentrated, but she felt like a kind soul had gifted her a pair of earplugs on a passenger plane full of screaming kids. Kagome smiled at Kaede.

"Better?"

"Much," she replied, watching as the markings on her arms receded and disappeared.

"Excellent. Now, I think we can try that little experiment I was talking to Inuyasha about on the way up here…"

…

Sango was staring at Kohaku, the teenager's accusation suspended precariously between them.

"Kohaku… I was just remembering things."

"You didn't touch—"

"No, you know I wouldn't touch anything in there."

"Oh. Well…I…"

"It's alright," she said, taking a step towards him. "I was just telling mom and dad how well you're doing…"

"They can't hear you," he said flatly. "They're dead."

"I—I know that. But it helps me…to think that they might be able to listen…somehow." She blinked back the tears that had edged their way into her eyes.

"Well I think that's stupid," he snapped, turning to march off down the hall.

"Kohaku!" Sango grabbed his wrist. "Please—don't be like this. You did a good job on your test, and we're going to celebrate tomorrow with Rin, so—"

He looked at the floor, eyes tracing the pattern of the runner intently. "You—you don't think they would mind, do you?" He asked almost imperceptibly.

"Mind what?"

"You know…celebrating… going out to dinner," Kohaku turned his face to hide the tears starting there. He was 16. Crying was for little kids.

But Sango firmly turned him around, looking him in the face. He was almost as tall as she was. "Of course I don't think they'd mind," she said gently. "I think they'd be really happy for you." She kissed the spot on his cheek where a single tear had escaped. The gentle peck seemed to jar Kohaku back to his teenage self.

"Uh, yeah, okay…" he said, scrubbing at the spot on his cheek where his sister had kissed him.

Sango smiled at his mild embarrassment. "Well, I'm gonna take a shower and go to bed. You should try to get to bed soon too if that paper of yours is finished."

"Yeah…" He ambled off down the hall.

…

"Experiment?" Kagome asked dubiously.

"Why don't you explain, Inuyasha?" Kaede smiled at him.

"Keh. It's _your_ theory, old woman."

"Yes, but it's _your_ family history."

"Alright, fine," he snapped, turning to Kagome.

"So the reason I feel 'half way between you and Kali' to use your words, is because that's what I am. I'm a half-demon. A hanyou, back in Japan where I'm from."

Kagome nodded, but couldn't fathom where this could possibly be going.

"My father was a dog demon, and my mother was a human, but also a priestess who had pretty strong spiritual abilities. Kaede thinks you might be able to…practice your powers with me because I may be immune, but I also have demon powers, which would give you something 'real' to fight," Inuyasha finished in a somewhat annoyed fashion.

Kagome shook her head vehemently. "No way! Not after what I did…what I did to those—"

"It's alright," Kaede reassured her. "I'm going to ask Miroku to try first because he has very good control and isn't as strong as you or I."

"But—but—"

"It will only be a very small amount. Miroku, come here."

He came and stood uncomfortably in front of a grouchy and somewhat feral looking Inuyasha. They removed their charms.

"Now," said Kaede, "I want you to summon a tiny amount of power. Just light up your finger a bit—yep, just like that. Now, Inuyasha, your hand please."

Miroku reached his hand toward Inuyasha's.

Kagome closed her eyes.

Kali bounced on her toes in anticipation.

Kaede was patient as ever.

Purple glow met skin…

And nothing happened.

"Well!" said Miroku. "That was…interesting."

"Indeed," agreed Kaede. "That should have been enough to leave something like a cigarette burn. Did you feel anything at all, Inuyasha?"

"Nothing besides physical contact," he replied, unsure whether to be relieved or more apprehensive.

"Excellent! Then let's try something a little stronger."

This time, Kagome was able to watch. Again, despite the glowing purple orb Miroku released onto Inuyasha's arm, nothing happened. The light simply seemed to fade against his skin.

"So…I don't understand," Kagome said. "Why doesn't it affect Inuyasha? Does his mother's blood protect him completely?"

"So far," Kaede said. "It's possible that a spiritual attack stronger than one she could create would get past the defense." She gave Kagome a long look. "That's why we're having Miroku try this first."

"How did you even think this would be possible?" Kagome watched as Miroku tried progressively stronger attacks, all with no effect whatsoever.

"Well, it didn't occur to me until I saw the little show you guys put on outside," Kaede admitted.

"Oh…er…" Kagome flushed a little again.

"Normally, the auras of demons and those with spiritual gifts clash. The reaction between your auras was unlike anything I've ever seen. It was almost like a dance, your energies were moving in perfect harmony and rhythm."

Kagome blushed harder.

"It occurred to me that Inuyasha's mother had been a priestess herself, and there must have been something special about her power, or Inuyasha could never have been conceived. I thought her energies might offer him some protection. He wasn't keen on the idea, but he seems to be doing just fine," Kaede gestured at Inuyasha, who was just standing there with one black eyebrow cocked as Miroku hurled energies in his direction. Kali was standing well away from them.

Miroku was panting a little from the effort. "D'you—d'you think Kagome could give this a shot maybe?"

"I think that would be safe enough at this point," Kaede agreed. "Kagome?"

Kagome bit her lip nervously. She didn't _like_ Inuyasha, but that didn't mean she wanted to hurt him. Not to mention the fact that she was still embarrassed. "Um, I don't know if—"

"Oh, come now, it'll be just fine," said Kaede, taking her by the arm and positioning her where Miroku had just been. "Just try a little with your hand, like how Miroku started."

"Um…alright…" Kagome looked up at Inuyasha. He wasn't a whole lot taller than she, but it was enough to make her nervous the way he was glaring at her. He stuck his hand out.

"Just get it over with."

Kagome took off her charm and shut her eyes, calling her power forward to flow to her hand that hovered over Inuyasha's. She could feel him standing in front of her, could see his red aura swirling around him in her mind's eye. It eddied and jumped, conveying a nervousness that was otherwise hidden beneath the angry façade. _ He's just as apprehensive as I am,_ she thought. Kagome felt her power growing to a small ball in her hand. Opening her eyes, she watched herself close the distance between her palm and his.

The ball of energy flowed out between their palms as they touched. Inuyasha closed his eyes and gulped. This was _nothing_ like the impassive dissipation of Miroku's power. This felt like a tentative caress, and he could feel Kagome's nervousness as she touched his hand. In her desire not to hurt him, she had made her energy as smooth and supple as possible, unwittingly eliciting a pleasurable response within the conflicted hanyou.

Inuyasha opened one eye. "D'you think—could you be a little more angry about it?"

"What?"

"Your energy. It was, er, well, soft, kind of. I—I mean, you couldn't even kill a bug with that! I thought you were supposed to be strong!" _There, that should get her riled up a little,_ he thought.

"Hmph! Well I was _trying_ to be nice! But if that's not what you want—" Kagome summoned a large, crackling ball of power. "—then here you go!" she shouted, flinging the globe at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's eyes went wide in the split second before it hit him in the chest. It didn't burn him the way it should have, but it did knock him over, much to Kali's delight. He lay on the linoleum floor, glaring up at all of them.

"Happy?" he snapped at Kaede.

"Quite," the old woman replied.

Kagome bent over Inuyasha. "Are—Are you alright?"

"'Course I'm alright, idiot," he bit out, sitting up. In truth, he was surprised that he had only been knocked to the ground. That ball of energy Kagome had so casually tossed at him in her annoyance contained much more power than anything Miroku had thrown at him. He had been expecting to be burned badly. Not that it would have mattered all _that _much, since he healed superficial injuries almost instantly. Granted, a spiritual wound would leave an awful scar, but he would live. However, he rather liked his appearance, so he was quite glad that he'd only suffered mild embarrassment instead. Inuyasha stood up, dusting himself off.

"Can we be done now?" He asked, irritated. "It's past 11, and I'd really like to get some sleep before my meeting tomorrow morning."

"Yes, yes. I'd just like to work out a training schedule first," replied Kaede. "Miroku is here in the evening on Mondays, Wednesdays, and in the morning on Saturdays. Inuyasha, I know you're normally here most evenings unless you're working late. Would you be able to make sure to be here on at least those days?"

"Keh. Perfect. Scheduled 'Inuyasha the personal punching bag' time."

"Inuyasha…" warned Kaede.

"Yeah, whatever. Since this is all so convenient for you."

"Kagome?" queried Kaede, ignoring Inuyasha's aggravated reply.

"Yeah, that should work. I usually like to exercise after work anyway, so I guess I could do that here too."

Kaede nodded. "Don't worry, you'll get a physical workout along with being able to practice your spiritual abilities. Combat training is a part of all of this, since the gifted are often targets…"

"No kidding," Kagome said, recalling the incident that had lead to the evening's shenanigans.

"Well, then that's settled. Kali and I will walk you to the studio door."

…

Sango gratefully inhaled the steam as hot water cascaded over her body. It had been one of her longer, more frustrating days in a while, so it felt good to finally relax in the shower. However, her mind, ever restless, was soon questing about for something with which to bother her conscious thoughts.

_Kohaku turns 17 in a little over a month. That means you have to take him to see the local head of the Slayer chapter for his formal induction, _her brain supplied helpfully.

"Not now…" she muttered into the stream of water running down her face.

It was all Sango had been able to do to keep Kohaku doing the bare minimum for his Demon Slayer training. He hadn't liked it from the start, but when their parents had died… She still wasn't sure how she'd managed to talk him into continuing. Doing their parents' memory proud or something like that, probably. Sango knew that Kohaku was aware that the induction was coming up, but neither had said anything about it, as though the issue would somehow evaporate if they ignored it long enough.

_Talk about a proverbial elephant in the room_. _We have entirely too many of those… Perhaps the whole herd of them allows us to not really address any of them…Forest for the trees and all that…except with elephants. _She shook her head, amused at her mixed metaphors.

As far as she could tell, the Demon Slayers were more of a formality than anything else at this point in history anyway. The number of malicious demons she'd encountered was extremely low, and the others had all been fairly benign specimens, more interested in going about their lives undisturbed than anything else. The only reason she had even noticed the latter group at all was because of the counter-charm she'd had surgically inserted under the skin of her inner forearm at the age of 12. It looked like an odd birthmark.

Such counter-charms used to be worn, but it had been, and continued to be, the opinion of the Slayer Council that most people didn't need to know about demons. So, about 200 years ago, they'd gathered as many charms as they could, had them melted down, and redistributed them as dime-sized, paper thin amulets that were safe to place under the skin. That way, no one could get a charm unless they also got a Slayer, and they'd have to fight that Slayer first. Chances for a sly theft were slim, if they were really present at all, and demons had fast become the stuff of legends.

Hence, the true nature of Sango's colleagues had not escaped her, though they had no idea that she knew. The Council preferred it that way. And really, she could care less. Miroku was a flirt, and Inuyasha could get obnoxious, but they were both good at their jobs. And in the end, that was what mattered. The Council could have their way in this.

She sighed, rinsing the last of the conditioner out of her long brown hair. She would have to discuss the induction ceremony with Kohaku soon. Dinner tomorrow night clearly would not be the time, since Rin would be present, and they'd be in public anyway, but perhaps she could broach the subject sometime that weekend…

…

Kali and Kaede waved goodbye as Inuyasha, Miroku, and Kagome climbed into their respective vehicles. They turned out of the parking lot, heading in opposite directions.

Inuyasha turned the radio off. He'd had enough noise for one evening, and he wanted to enjoy the quiet of driving alone so late in the evening.

He thought of the night's events, especially of the aural interaction that had taken place between Kagome and him. _Talk about bizarre,_ he said to himself. _It's as though our auras are forcing us to work together, or like they recognize something in each other. Keh, the only thing we have in common is that we both like to yell a lot…especially at each other. _He shook his head. _What a good working relationship, _he thought sarcastically. _And now Kaede's having us train together? _That's _gonna get reeeal interesting, I bet. And me, her personal punching bag! This is going to be fan-freakin-tastic…_

He stopped at the red light. "Why the hell do they not have these damned things flashing at this hour?" he grumbled aloud. He thought about running it, since no one was around to see, but given his earlier encounter with law enforcement, he didn't push his luck.

As the light turned green, Inuyasha's thoughts turned to his and Kali's argument earlier. His frown deepened. Her sudden vehemence had surprised him. _And she said Sesshoumaru's having "wife problems?" What the fuck does that mean? And how would she know anyway? Sessh is like a clam on crack when it comes to keeping emotions to himself. Unless he actually _talks _to her? I guess it's possible, since he's managed to marry that Kagura woman. Though she's almost as stoic as he is, at least until she gets angry, if the wedding 65 years ago was any indication. And she's got a strange sense of humor…_

Inuyasha's eye caught suddenly on an angry orange glow far down the street. He realized belatedly that the scent of smoke had tainted the air for the last few minutes, but he'd been too lost in thought to notice. Curious, he sped up a little.

_That's FoxBox!_ Inuyasha realized as he got close. There were several fire trucks, an ambulance, and several patrol cars parked haphazardly in front, blocking the street. He could see the firemen in their mad dash to do battle with the inferno. All thoughts of Kagome, Kali, and Sesshoumaru fled from his head as he parked his car a little way down the street and got out to investigate.

As Inuyasha approached, he could feel the heat of the roaring blaze against his skin. And there, silhouetted against the flames, were two covered stretchers being wheeled quickly toward the ambulance. His breath caught.

He couldn't be sure, but the most likely people to be on those stretchers were Carl Manicci and his wife, Daniela. They ran the paper shop together, and they were the only ones who would have been there at that hour of the night. He knew the couple had a young son, though he couldn't recall his name exactly. Shikou or Shippou, or something like that.

A female cop of short stature approached him.

"Can I help you with something sir?" She asked.

"What? Oh—uh, well I was just driving home when I saw this," Inuyasha gestured at the roaring fire, "and they're the paper supplier for my company—"

"Ah, well, I'm sorry about that."

"When did this happen?"

"Well, we got the 911 call about 25 minutes ago, saying there had been an explosion and the building was on fire."

"I see…" Inuyasha muttered, distracted by his thoughts.

"It's funny, this is the second explosion and fire I've been called to tonight. Somethin' in the air, I guess."

"Second?"

"Yep, earlier there was a transformer explosion. Couple of guys who tried to attack a girl were burnt to a crisp, though she survived, completely unharmed. Still can't figure that one out…"

That got Inuyasha's attention. _Maybe that was Kagome._ He still didn't know the full story on what had happened with her, but he did know that she'd been attacked and had fried the guys who did it. "Say, uhh, you don't think there's a connection do you?"

"What, between this fire and the transformer thing earlier? Nah, the first one was a straight up freak accident. Off the record, the talk is that this one is probably arson. Could be Mafia related. The family that owns the store is Italian, but these days that doesn't mean much. Who knows, really?"

"Yeah… It just seems like an odd job if it is the Mafia. They're usually less conspicuous about these things." And conspicuous it was. The arcing flames cast a hot orange light as they sprang up defiantly against the streaming hoses.

The officer shrugged. "Well, they do seem to have been a little more active lately, to the point where some of the Illinois reps are starting to bug congress for funding to counter their activities."

_Really?_ Thought Inuyasha, _That's interesting. Kali did say something about Naraku getting elected to congress. He must be working under a pseudonym. And of course I haven't paid enough attention in the last 10 years to know which one he's using right now._

"That's good, I guess," was his reply. "Do you know who's driving the request for funding?"

"Yeah, I think the rep's name is Kauran Munogio. Bit of an odd name, but he seems to have the city's best interests at heart."

Inuyasha quickly rearranged the letters of the last name in his head, since Naraku had been prone to using anagrams for names in the past. He probably thought it was clever. _Onigumo._ Yep, that was Naraku alright.

"Yeah. Well, thanks for the info. I should get home."

"And I should get back to my job," she said, managing a smile. "I really shouldn't have told you any of that, but it's been one hell of a shift. Have a good night." She turned and trudged back toward the ambulance, where the two stretchers had just finished loading up.

Inuyasha took one last long look at the flames dancing against the sky. _Definitely too blatant to be a Mafia job._ He should call Sango. They'd need to line up another source of paper for AdHOC.

He turned to walk back to his car, pulling his phone from his pocket.

…

Sango was almost asleep, floating in the space where dreams and reality nipped at each other's heels. Her pillow was soft under her cheek, and she was buried blissfully under a thick quilt. The world was slowly receding from her mind.

A loud, tinny rendition of "Taxman" jolted her away from slumber.

"Go 'way…" Sango grumbled, burying her head under her pillow.

The song continued insistently.

Extracting herself from her blanket burrito, she sat up and pulled her phone off of the bedside table, squinting at the screen. _Why the fuck is Inuyasha calling me at this hour…? _She thought grumpily. Sighing, she hit "answer."

"Wha' d'you want?" Sango growled sleepily into the phone.

"Hello to you too," came Inuyasha's reply. "Look, I'm sorry I'm calling so late, but we have a bit of a problem."

"Huh?" Her brain was still foggy.

"FoxBox burned to the ground. I was just there. I was driving home from Fujiwara and saw it."

Sango sat up straight. "_What?"_ Now she was awake. "Was it an accident? Was anyone hurt?"

"The cop I talked to said that they thought it might be a Mafia job. She wasn't entirely sure about that, but said they thought it was arson… Also, they—they pulled two bodies out."

"Oh, no… that—that must have been Carl…and his wife. They're the only ones who would be there at that hour."

"That was what I thought too. The whole thing looks pretty suspicious, and I'm kind of wondering whether they might have been killed before the fire was set."

"God, in a way, I hope so. If they burned to death instead…what an awful way to die."

"No kidding. And I'm pretty sure they have a son, though I can't remember his name. I hope the kid's got some relatives in the area…"

"Me too." Sango pinched the bridge of her nose. "Man, what a mess. We'll also need to find a new paper supplier, and quickly, since we're almost out of several types."

"Yeah, I know. I can't imagine why somebody would target a paper supply shop, of all things." Inuyasha didn't say who he thought that 'someone' might be.

"Lord knows." Sango knew the owners were a family of demons, so she'd definitely need to report this to the council. It could be random, or someone could be up to something. "I want to talk to you about this more tomorrow after the meeting. This whole thing just doesn't feel right."

"Sure that's fine." _Yeah, something's definitely odd,_ he thought.

"Well, thanks for letting me know, and sorry for grouching at you earlier."

"Keh, 'sfine. See you at the office tomorrow."

"Yeah. Good night."

Sango hung up.

_Perfect. Another complication._ The meeting tomorrow morning was going to be touchy enough, without this additional news hanging over her. If they couldn't find another supplier soon, they ran the risk of missing important deadlines. …And that poor kid, losing his parents like that…

She sighed, replacing her phone on the nightstand, and laid back into her soft pillows. She snuggled under her quilt, trying to regain the heavy-eyed comfort she'd had before Inuyasha called.

Despite her efforts, she was still staring at the ceiling an hour later, turning the news over in her mind.

…

Inuyasha turned on the late night news as he got ready for bed, something he hadn't done in quite a while. He stood in the bathroom in a pair of black and red striped pajama pants, brushing his teeth and listening to the newscaster reporting on the evenings' various incidents. He'd turned the TV volume up in the living room of his apartment, not caring if he bothered his neighbors. They were pretty obnoxious themselves, coming and going at odd hours and occasionally having awkwardly loud sex. Inuyasha didn't care if he woke them up. They were probably still awake anyway.

So far, the news was uninteresting, just the usual stuff about a few robberies or drug sting operation.

"…And we've just gotten reports in that there has been an unusual outbreak of fires tonight, leading investigators to believe that arson may be involved…" Blared the voice from the living room.

Inuyasha paused to listen, toothbrush hanging from his mouth.

"A total of 15 blazes have had the fire department busy since about 7:45 this evening when a transformer exploded in the 5000 block of…"

That must have been Kagome then. The timing was too precise not to be her.

"What's unusual is that all of the blazes except two have had fatalities, with most a bullet wound being the most likely cause of death, though that has yet to be officially determined…"

_Bullet wounds? This is getting more suspicious by the second—_

"There have been suggestions from unconfirmed sources that the Mafia may somehow be involved. However, investigators also say that the places hit by fires seem to have been completely random, with the only commonality being that they were mostly businesses where workers were still present. If you have any information regarding any of these incidents, please call your jurisdiction's anonymous tip line. This has been a breaking news update, and now we'll return to a more pleasant story about 'Stop Traffic,' a charitable organization that is working to green the city by encouraging more people to take alternative transportation—"

Inuyasha resumed brushing his teeth, staring pensively at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His golden eyes stared back at him, black brows furrowed. He spat toothpaste into the sink, rinsed his mouth, and then turned on the hot water to give his face a quick scrub. When he was done, he buried his face in a navy blue hand towel, wiping the water away. He picked up a brush, which had a decent amount of white hair tangled in its bristles, and ran it roughly through his hair, careful to avoid his ears, which were visible since removing his charm.

The charm itself was a silver yin-yang, with one side burnished to a perfect shine, and the other a textured brushed metal. It was a constant reminder of his half-breed status, and the only thing he liked about it was that it had a light hand that didn't dampen his senses a whole lot and left his basic appearance alone.

His looks got him plenty of attention; women and men alike seemed to find Inuyasha's mass of silvery white hair magnetic, with the possible exceptions of Sango and Kagome, who seemed completely immune to male charms of any kind, if Miroku's complaints were anything to go by. Sango, he could understand. She had a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, taking care of her younger brother in addition to her job, where she frequently worked over-time.

Kagome, on the other hand, he was baffled by. Since she had just moved to the city, he thought she'd be a little more forthcoming and try to make friends. Then again, he wasn't an easy person to get along with, and with their combined tempers, they were usually at odds. Thinking about it though, he realized that she got along fine with everyone else. He scowled, pausing mid-brush stroke.

_Well it still takes two people to have an argument,_ Inuyasha thought, putting the brush back on the edge of the sink. _I shouldn't even be thinking about her right now anyway._ He pulled his hair back and started to braid it so he wouldn't wake up with a tangled mess in the morning. _This Naraku business is way more important right now…though I guess she's already being caught up in that too from the looks of things._ He finished the braid and tied it off with a small black band. _And I should really look some stuff up on the guy and at least bookmark a few things before going to bed. Kali's annoying ass is right, I really need to catch up on the times. Stupid politics._

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered aloud.

He went to turn off the TV and then ambled tiredly over to his computer, plopping down in the desk chair. The cold light of the screen splashed across his face and bare chest, outlining defined muscles with a bluish glow. He opened the browser and typed in the pseudonym that the officer had given him. Several articles popped up, mostly relating to his relatively recent election to the House of Representatives and his leadership of the New Light Communications board. Thinking he'd probably get more information from the business lead as opposed to the political one, he turned up New Light's website to look through a list of their clients and subsidiaries.

_Why is Kosha Industries on here? I thought WE had their business…_

Inuyasha clicked through to see what they were listed for. Kosha was a multi-national conglomerate, so it could really be anything. He didn't recognize the brand that was listed at all, so he opened a new tab to do a quick search.

_Machine parts. Now that's pretty random._ Their website listed everything from items as basic as screws to things he'd never heard of in his life, which was saying something, considering he'd had more than 200 years to acquire various forms of knowledge. He bookmarked the page, along with New Light's website and a few other political and business related articles. Inuyasha stretched and pushed his chair back. It was past 1 am, and sleep sounded like an incredibly good idea. He wasn't going to get any further until he could talk to Sesshoumaru tomorrow.

He got up and was halfway to his room when he realized he'd forgotten to ask Kagome if she would be free for dinner tomorrow night. _Well, fuck. I'll just have to ask her after the meeting tomorrow. Hopefully she won't be too annoyed…or have plans already._ _That would be convenient, _he thought sarcastically. _Keh, I'll just have to deal with it._

Inuyasha marched to his room, determined to make the most of the few hours of sleep left to him.

…

Miroku had walked Kagome up to her apartment door, which she greatly appreciated, given the evening's turn of events. They stood just outside, Kagome rummaging through her bag.

"You know, if you didn't have so many USB drives in there, it might be easier to find your keys," he quipped.

Kagome shot him a look. "And I'm supposed to believe that _you _never have such problems?"

"No, actually," Miroku replied smugly.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Right, I forgot. Your post-its at work are color coded and your pencils are organized by length."

Miroku grinned.

"You, my friend, have a serious case of OCD," she said archly. She finally unearthed her keys and turned to unlock the door.

"Perhaps."

Kagome gave the door a hard shove, and they stepped into her apartment.

Miroku looked around and said thoughtfully, "You know, we should set up a spiritual barrier so that demons can't get at you here. We could even make it so it would warn you if anyone human came in too, though it won't be able to keep them out."

"That's probably a good idea," Kagome agreed, closing the door behind her, "but I really have no idea how to even begin making one."

"Not a problem," he smiled. "You can lend me your energy and I'll do the construction."

"Okay, but what if there are demons who I want to let in?" She was thinking about Kali and Inuyasha. No, she was just thinking about Kali.

"Oh that's easy. A barrier is all about intent. We can have it allow demons who don't mean you harm."

Kagome frowned. "You make it sound like you can get a barrier to do whatever you want."

"Well, technically a barrier is just a grounded concentration of energy across a set space. You can manipulate your energy to do what you want for the most part, as long as it's within your strength to do it. You can even make it zap intruders, though doing so will draw heavily on the anchor energies and weaken it faster."

"I think all I want it to do is keep out those who would do me harm and give me a warning when a human or non-threatening demon comes in…"

"Do you want a different warning for each?"

"You can do that?"

"What did I just say?"

"I guess that could be useful. You seem to know a lot about this."

Miroku go a bit of a faraway look. "Well, I'm not very strong, so I've spent a lot of time learning control and technique. Since I can't rely on brute force, I have to be as smart as possible."

"Well, I'm glad you know what you're doing, 'cause I'd probably blow myself up or something."

"Nah, you'd figure it out. Anyway, let's get this thing built so I can go home and get some sleep."

"Alright." Kagome set her bag down, which she had forgotten she was still carrying.

"Okay, here's what we'll need to do: you put your hand on my shoulder, and concentrate as hard as you can on getting your energy to flow to me. I'll use it to build your barrier, which will be anchored at each outer corner of your apartment. Since I don't know your apartment layout, I'll need you to hold the image of that in your mind and help me direct the flow of energy to the proper place. Got all that?"

Kagome gulped. "Uh, I guess so…" She was hoping she wouldn't screw this up.

"Ready, then?"

"Yeah." Kagome placed her hand nervously on Miroku's shoulder, closed her eyes, and reached inward to the golden glow at her center.

Holding the image of her apartment in her head, she gathered the energy into a stream in her mind's eye, letting it wash down her arm. She could feel the gentle rise of Miroku's power as he reached to gather up the energy she sent him.

Miroku felt the warmth of Kagome's power as it hit his shoulder, and with the golden glow came the image of the apartment that Kagome was concentrating on. He let her energy flow to a corner of the living room until the anchor began to pulse with life, and moved on to each subsequent corner provided by the image in Kagome's mind.

Kagome was surprised at the lack of awkwardness of the situation. It seemed to her that sharing her power this way should be an intimate activity, but this just felt like a business transaction. Though she could sense Miroku's energy working in concert with hers, it was nothing like what she had experienced with Inuyasha earlier. Even the intense aural interaction aside, when she had intentionally touched him that first time with her gentle energy, she had felt his reaction. Pleasure. Embarrassment. In her surprise and slight panic, she had overreacted—

"I'm losing you," Miroku muttered. "_Concentrate."_

Kagome yanked her thoughts away from Inuyasha, hoping that she hadn't accidentally been sending those mental images to Miroku via their connection. They were on the last corner of the apartment, and she could sense the other anchors pulsing gently. Miroku released the anchor and stepped away, breaking their connection.

"Sorry about that," Kagome said a little sheepishly. "I, uh, got distracted."

"That's alright. I'm sure Inuyasha would appreciate your thoughts." He winked at her.

Kagome gasped, turning a fantastic shade of crimson. "I—but—what did you see?" she demanded.

"Oh, nothing much. Just a flash of his face that told me that's where your thoughts had gone. Then I got lucky with my guess."

"Oh, uhh, well…" Kagome realized she'd been caught in his trap.

"Don't worry about it. Inuyasha's own inner conflict was written all over his face after your little aura incident."

"Well, why don't _you _try that with someone you don't usually get along with and tell me how you feel about it afterwards?"

"_I_ get along with _everyone,_" Miroku pronounced. "Though there _is_ a certain someone over in Art Direction who I wouldn't mind trying that with."

"Pervert."

Miroku just grinned roguishly at her before changing the subject. "Could we maybe get a glass of water or something? I'm rather parched after all that."

"Um, sure," said Kagome, marveling at how fast the man could switch gears. "But, is barrier done yet?" It still felt oddly unfinished.

"No, just the anchors are in place. They can sit there for as long as we need them to, don't worry."

"Alright." She got up to go to the kitchen and poured them two glasses of water. When she returned, Miroku had seated himself comfortably on her sofa. "Here."

"Thanks," he said, taking the proffered glass. He downed half of it in one go.

Kagome was studying the ice in her glass intently. The anchor in the corner of the room cast its golden light over them, reflecting like molten metal across the fractured ice cubes. She felt comfort in the presence of her energies, despite the newness of it all. It was like they had always been a part of her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" said Miroku, breaking her reverie.

"Just thinking about the anchors," she gestured to the gilded orb floating in the corner.

"Yeah, we should finish that," Miroku said, setting his now-empty glass down on the scuffed wooden coffee table. He pulled his legs up under him so he was sitting in a half lotus position.

"What do I need to do?" Kagome queried.

"Watch," he said simply, "and not just with your eyes. I want to you reach your senses out so you can tell what I'm doing. Since you allowed me to channel and shape this energy, I can manipulate it within the confines of its purpose."

"Alright."

Miroku closed his eyes, looking quite meditative as he began to pull power from the anchors. Kagome watched in wonder as the anchor in the corner sank partially into the floor and let a line of energy arc out above the heads. She could feel the same energy gliding under the floor as all of the anchors released their power, coming together at what she felt to be the center of her apartment.

Kagome felt a sudden but gentle pressure on her right shoulder. It glowed softly for a second, and she heard Miroku's distorted voice in her head. _Humanfriend, _it said. She felt a similar pressure and saw an identical glow on her left shoulder; _demonfriend,_ the voice said. A sharp zap, but not a painful one, to her right shoulder; _humanfoe._ An identical zing to her left shoulder; _demonfoe_. So this was how the warnings worked.

In that instant, the lines of power emanating from the anchors rapidly expanded, filling the space between. There was a golden flash, and Kagome felt a distinct _click_ that was almost like a lock sliding into place. Royal purple pulsed at the edges of her vision, and she blinked.

All the light was gone. Her apartment looked completely normal, except now she could feel the reassuring buzz of her energy about her. Miroku's energy had completely receded.

"Thank you," Kagome said softly, humbled.

"You're welcome," he smiled at her tiredly. "And just so you know, you should check the energies regularly. Any demon who tries to get in will leave a mark on the barrier, so you'll know if one came by while you were gone. Also, you'll need to replenish the power in the anchors about every two weeks to make sure they stay strong."

"How do I do that?"

"Just concentrate, and let your energy flow into them, just like you did with me. You'll be able to feel when they're full."

Kagome nodded. "Sounds simple enough." She glanced at the clock on her wall. It was just past 1 am. "I don't mean to kick you out…"

"No, no. I need to go home anyway." He gave an enormous yawn. "See?"

Kagome yawned in response. "Arg. Yawns are always contagious."

"Yup." He stood up and stretched. "Well, good night and sleep well, dear lady."

"You too, good sir," she replied, feeling obligated to play along since he'd been so helpful.

Miroku cracked a surprised grin, gave her a small but flourishing bow, and let himself out.

Kagome leaned against the door Miroku had closed behind him, feeling the energy pulsing through the solid wood. Despite being alone, she felt safe and mostly relaxed for the first time since being attacked that evening. It was amazing the comfort a simple thing like a barrier could give her. And she could still let her friends in. Friends. Kagome realized with a smile that despite the trauma of the evening's events, or perhaps because of it, she had people she could count on. Even Inuyasha had agreed to train with her, though she wasn't sure yet how that would work out. They seemed to have a bizarre chemistry, highly volatile, and apparently also… well, she wasn't sure exactly, and she didn't look too closely. Kagome would train with him, and that would be that. She peeled herself away from the door and its soothing flow of energy. _It will be simple,_ she decided.

* * *

><p>Hope you liked this chapter with its revisions! I can't believe I'm at the end of only the first day! What a ride! The beginning was a little hard to write, but things seemed to flow easier after the scene where Inuyasha calls Sango in the middle of the night. I hope this chapter piqued your interest, especially in terms of what Naraku is cooking up. *Evil grin* Just you wait…<p>

-ebj


	4. Invitations and Information

So, I'm really sorry I missed my usual update on Tuesday, but I had (actually still have) a TON of stuff going on right now. Add to that the fact that this chapter is longer than previous chapters have been… And just a heads up, I will probably miss this Tuesday's update as well. I guess for being overwhelmed with things at the moment, one chapter a week isn't too bad. Anyway:

Definition time!

A quick reminder note for industry vocab in case you forgot:

A _mock-up_ is a preliminary version of a design that is shown to the client before the final version is made or printed. The client may request several rounds of changes, and thus a designer will likely execute several mock-ups throughout the execution of a project.

_html_ is a web programming language. But you probably knew that one already.

And a lastly, a disease, for those who don't know:

_Cirrhosis_ is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by scar tissue and other nasty stuff, leading to loss of liver function. Cirrhosis is most commonly caused by and associated with alcoholism, but it has many other causes, some of which are still unknown.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Invitations and Information<br>**

Inuyasha dashed down the back stairs of his apartment building. The meeting with Kosha was scheduled for 8 am, and he'd agreed to be there half an hour early to help set up. Of course, he'd overslept, and it was just now 7. If he was lucky, he'd make it barely in time to give Sango a hand with the projector. He opened his trunk to toss in the files he was carrying.

He felt a sudden, powerful pulse of youki and nearly dropped the folders.

Looking toward the back of the trunk, Inuyasha saw the bundle of cloth that his brother had left for him yesterday afternoon. He'd completely forgotten about it. The feel of the youki emanating from the cloth told him exactly what was wrapped in it. Tessaiga. His father's sword. Inuyasha was amazed that Sesshoumaru had simply _given_ it to him, particularly since Tenseiga had been destroyed in the battle against Naraku 200 years ago. He could only assume that his brother had come to possess the third of their father's swords, Sounga, the blade of the underworld. But that was ridiculous. Nobody except Inutaisho had ever been able to handle that blade successfully. Then again, if Sesshoumaru could so casually give Tessaiga to Inuyasha, then perhaps his brother had changed in ways over the last two centuries that he hadn't thought possible. _He's also got a wife,_ Inuyasha reminded himself. _That should be evidence enough by itself that things are different._

Inuyasha dropped the files in the trunk. He reached out with his demon senses as much as his charm would allow, looking, listening, and sniffing for anyone who might be watching. He extended his youki a little to see if any demons were nearby. Satisfied that the only life forms present were a few bedraggled looking birds and an extremely fat squirrel, he reached into the back of the trunk and pulled out the cloth bundle. He slammed the lid shut and made a beeline for the stairs, dashing up six flights to his apartment. He fumbled for a second with the lock, finally heard the telltale click, and shoved the door open. He stood for a moment in the doorway, framed by grayish morning light.

_Somewhere to hide this…somewhere to hide…_

Making up his mind, he strode quickly to his bedroom, unwrapping the sword as he went. It looked like its usual battered self, seemingly unremarkable to anyone who was unaware of its true power. Inuyasha shoved it a little unceremoniously under his bed. He knew it wasn't a very creative hiding place, but he was already running late. Under the bed would do for now. Satisfied, he got to his feet and sprinted out the door.

…

Sango was getting worried. It was already a quarter till 8, and Inuyasha still hadn't shown up. She had set up the projector by herself, and everything else was in place except for the stack of files that Inuyasha was supposed to bring. With nothing left to do but wait, she decided to try to make herself a look a little less like death warmed over. She hadn't slept well at all after Inuyasha's phone call. It had taken her another hour simply to fall asleep, and once there, it had been fitful, full of confused dreams about missing deadlines, AdHOC being firebombed, and the cries of the Manicci's young son, who she'd met only once.

Fishing in her bag, she found a mirror and a concealer stick, with which she proceeded to dab under her eyes. She had foregone her usual purple eyeshadow this morning since she figured her face already had enough shadows from lack of sleep.

Inuyasha arrived just as she tossed the concealer back in her bag.

"Sorry I'm late," he puffed.

Sango looked at him askance. He had a small bead of sweat trailing down the side of his forehead. "Did you _run_ up all those stairs or something?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Yeah," he said, breathing returning to normal. "It was faster than waiting around for the elevator."

"But we're on the 8th— never mind." _He's a demon. Running up eight flights _would_ be faster for him, even with a charm on._ "Do you have the files?"

"Right here." He handed them to her.

"And go wash your face. Bank and Jak don't need to see you all sweaty."

"Keh," he huffed, but he left to go to the men's room anyway. If anything, being sweaty would likely induce Jak to flirt with him, and he didn't really feel like dealing with that this morning. His plan was to sit in the background and let Sango do as much of the talking as possible. She wasn't great at diplomacy either, but she was definitely better than he was. This morning's meeting was likely to require quite a bit of it, if the last meeting was any indication.

…

"I'm telling you," snapped Bankotsu, as he punched the call button on the elevator, "They're going to want us to get rid of all that text on the back of the pasta package."

"But it _needs_ to be there," Jak argued. "People need to understand that this is so much more _authentic _than any other brand."

"Look, I know this is your pet project and all, and you developed this product yourself, but you have to learn where to draw the line."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. The two strode inside and Jak pressed the button for the 8th floor.

"Bank, I do know where to draw the line, and I don't think I'm crossing it with this." Jak leaned against the elevator wall and crossed his arms.

Bankotsu sighed. "Just wait. You'll see."

"I'm sure they figured out how to make it work. They are professionals. It's why we hired this firm in the first place."

Bankotsu rolled his eyes, but chose not to comment. Yes, they were professionals. Professionals who knew when the ridiculous gushing on the back of a package had gone too far.

The elevator came to a halt and they got out, heading to meeting room 800 down the hall.

…

Sango and Inuyasha had just finished laying out the various sheets of paper with ad and packaging mock-ups when the figures of Jak and Bankotsu swept by the glass windows and through the propped door.

"Good morning!" Sango said as cheerily as she could manage. She shook each of their hands in turn, Inuyasha following suit.

"So, shall we start with the easy stuff or the difficult stuff?" she asked, as the two newcomers put their briefcases down and got settled.

Bankotsu and Jak shared a glance.

"Let's start with the easy stuff," said Bank.

"Alright," Sango began, "First, we have these two ads you requested for the Lexie brand plastic serve-ware. Last time, you said you wanted to try to rid Lexie of its "grandma" image, as you put it, so you can compete better with the Solo brand. We've got a few concepts here, one that puts you in more direct competition with Solo, which shows a college party…"

Inuyasha was leaning against the wall, having completely tuned out the conversation. His mind was back at his apartment under the bed with Tessaiga. Despite the speed with which he had left that morning, leaving the sword lying there without even drawing it out of its scabbard once had been difficult. He had felt the sword's youki calling his own, demanding that he draw the blade. The last time he had seen the sword was 150 years ago when he'd been compelled to visit the shrine where his mother and father lay buried. It had lain on small dais under a seal, preventing anyone from touching it. However, following the compulsion of his youki and that of the sword, he'd simply reached through the barrier and removed it. Totosai, Inuyasha's godfather, had arrived quite literally moments later and whisked it off, saying it needed "work." The old demon was a master swordsmith, so Inuyasha trusted his opinion, but he'd thought it a little odd that Totosai hadn't returned it. The demon was eccentric and definitely prone to significant memory lapses, so it was entirely possible that he'd done whatever work the sword needed, and then promptly forgotten it in the clutter of his lair. _But why he'd then give it to Sesshoumaru of all people—_

"—sha. Inuyasha!" Sango's voice cut sharply through his thoughts.

"What?"

"You're spacing out! We're in a meeting for Christ's sake!"

"Keh," he muttered, barely audible. Then, "What is it you want?"

Sango rolled her eyes. "We wanted your opinion on whether you think the college party ad or the family barbecue ad would be better in the newspapers and cooking magazines."

"Umm," Inuyasha leaned over the table, silvery hair falling over his shoulders. Beside him, Jak licked his lips. Inuyasha continued, "Since it's the newspaper and cooking mags, I think the barbecue ad would be better. College students don't read either of those. They get practically everything online these days."

Jak looked triumphantly at Bankotsu. "See? He agrees with Sango and me."

"Oh alright. We do need to do something about the college-age market though," Bankotsu acquiesced.

"Try doing a promotion on some college campuses. Give out some free stuff," Inuyasha suggested. "Though you should make sure you serve free food along with it, otherwise none of the students will pay any attention."

"True that," Bank agreed. "Well perhaps we'll add that to the list of projects, but we'll have to discuss it with the Lexie vice president first."

"Of course," Sango smiled. _Good job, Inuyasha,_ she thought sincerely, despite his having zoned out earlier, _Way to get them into another possible project._ She'd have to compliment him later. "Shall we move on to the second set of ads?"

…

Kagome was in her office, fussing with a bit of html for a page of the AdHOC website. They'd picked up a few new clients recently, and they needed to ad the work to the firm's portfolio on the website. There was an error somewhere that was causing the entire page not to work properly, and she had yet to find it. She had her nose practically pasted against her computer screen, looking line by line for the mistake.

Miroku breezed in, all smiles, despite the late night. "Good morning!" he said cheerfully.

"Hmm…" was Kagome's distracted reply.

"Whatcha workin' on?" He asked, coming to lean over her shoulder.

"…Page for th' firm site…" she mumbled.

"Got a problem? Your face is awfully close to that screen. It's bad for your eyes, you know."

Kagome blinked and sat up straight in her chair. "There's an error somewhere that's causing the page not to work, and for the life of me, I can't find it." She rubbed her eyes. "I think I'm just too tired. I didn't get much sleep last night." Despite feeling safe in her new barrier, thoughts and worries about the night's events had chased each other through her head until the wee hours of the morning.

"Ah. Want me to take a quick look?"

"Sure," she said, scooting her chair out of the way.

"Let's see…you're missing a carrot here—" he entered the symbol and scrolled further down the page "—and you've dropped the quotes around this link—" he added them in "aaaannnd…oh, here's another spot you need a carrot."

"Thanks," Kagome said a little sheepishly. Those were elementary mistakes, and she should have been able to find them and correct them without a problem. Actually, she shouldn't have made those errors in the first place, but that's what happened when she tried to code too quickly on 2 hours of sleep.

"You're quite welcome," he said. "Now let's preview it and see if we got everything."

Kagome complied, and the page popped up with its appropriate images, running perfectly.

"Excellent!" Miroku exclaimed.

Kagome gave a small smile. "Miroku, you are entirely too perky for this hour of the morning."

He grinned. "Well, I slept like a log last night. I was quite tired after all that exertion." He winked at her.

"Miroku! That's inappropriate! And besides," she hissed, "we shouldn't be talking about those—things—" she waved her gold ankh necklace at him "—while we're at work!"

He raised his hands in supplication. "Alright, alright."

Kagome glared at him. "So you obviously didn't come in here to torment me for my inept coding this morning," she said, changing the subject.

"Oh, but what if I did?" Miroku grinned at her.

Kagome rolled her eyes in response.

"Well," he continued, "I was actually going to make a request of you."

"'Kay…"

"You know that conversation we had in the car on the way to Fujiwara, about your…unique skills?"

"Yes?" Kagome wasn't sure she liked where this was going. She'd asked Miroku not to mention her hacker past, and now here he was, talking about it at work.

"Well, you see, our security system is a bit out of date, and I know this isn't exactly in your job description, but I was wondering if you'd be able to poke around a bit and see if there are any holes or weaknesses that need fixing."

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, well if that's all you need…"

"It's not exactly a small job. I was hoping you'd be able to help fix it up as well."

"Oh. Well, do you have a specific deadline in mind? I do have quite a few projects on the table right now…"

Miroku shrugged. "Not really. If you could just do it when you have the time and keep me posted on your progress, that would be great."

"Sure, I guess. But why aren't you hiring someone to do it? Aren't there companies that specialize in this sort of thing?"

"Well yes, but there's two reasons not to. One, you're here, we're already paying you, and hiring a company would be expensive. Two, the CEO is a bit of conspiracy theorist, and would be a lot happier doing this sort of thing in-house if we can."

"Makes sense. Though I didn't realize Mr. Big Shot upstairs was afraid that world is out to get him."

"Not so much him as the company. He's _convinced_ that New Light Communications is trying to steal our clients, among other things. It's why he personally requested the security system overhaul."

Kagome's mind flashed back to Kali and Inuyasha's argument the night before. She had mentioned something about some Naraku person taking over New Light…

"Well…are they?"

Miroku shifted uncomfortably. "To be honest, I really don't know. AdHOC has had some troubles with losing clients recently, and New Light seems to snap them up… but there's no direct evidence. And anyway, it's the company's choice which firm they use, so there's nothing we can really do about it."

Kagome frowned. "But this page I'm working on is for some new clients' work."

"We've picked up some new clients, but not enough to make up for the ones we've lost."

"Oh. So I guess that's why Sango was freaking out so much about the meeting with Kosha," Kagome conjectured.

"Yeah. They've always been a big client, but they've never been anywhere near the 40% of our business that they are now."

"I see…I hope the meeting goes well, then."

"Me too," said Miroku, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Kagome called.

Miroku turned. "Yes?"

"Uh, you didn't tell the CEO about—about—" she stammered.

"Oh, no. I simply told him that you had prior experience with security systems, and we might be able to ask you to handle this."

"Oh. Good. Um, thanks."

"Not a problem." He cracked a conspiratorial grin and whisked himself out of the office.

…

"Look!" Exclaimed Jak, "I knew they would be able to get all of the text I wanted onto the package."

"Except now it's so small no one's ever going to read it, Jak," Bankotsu snapped. "Why can't you just be reasonable about this, and drop the two middle sentences like Inuyasha suggested?"

"Because they're _important._ The use of the Italian there is what tells the customers—"

"It's not going to tell the customers _anything_ if they need a magnifying glass to read it!"

"Oh, come on, anyone with a decent pair of eyes can read this!"

"…And for those of us who wear glasses?" Bankotsu raised an eyebrow.

"Well that's what your damned glasses are _for_ aren't they? What's the use of wearing them if you still can't read anything?"

"This isn't just _anything_, Jak, it's tiny lettering that's all squished together into one giant paragraph because there's no _room _to—"

"Well then why don't we just redesign the package to be bigger?"

Bankotsu buried his forehead in his hand.

Sango and Inuyasha stood elbow to elbow a few feet away, watching the exchange unfold. All it had taken was Inuyasha's suggestion of dropping the middle sentences to set the two of them off. Bankotsu was busily arguing their case for them, and they were more than happy to let him do it.

"_Because, _Jak, that would take another _month_ to finish, and then it won't be out on time, and all that money we've spent on promotions will be wasted!"

"No it won't. We can just tweak the dimensions a little and—"

"No. Just drop the two damned middle sentences."

"But the _Italian—" _

"No. This might be your pet project, but _I _am the Chief Marketing Officer for Kosha, and _what I say goes."_

Jak looked at him, wide-eyed. "How _dare_ you pull rank on me!" Jak nearly shrieked, "This is _my _project—"

"Why do you think they're having me come to these meetings with you? They know you don't know where to draw the line when you get excited, and I'm the only one who _can _pull rank so you don't do anything stupid!"

Jak gaped at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "Well! If _that _is the case then I might just take this project to—"

"You won't take the project _anywhere_. You might be the head of this project, but Kosha _owns _it."

"Fine! Take those lines out! Re-do the fonts! Take away the authenticity! But don't come crying to me when it doesn't perform according to sales projections!" Jak picked up his briefcase. "You can take a cab back to the office!" He stormed out of the room.

Sango and Inuyasha were a little stunned. They'd expected an argument, certainly, but not the _tantrum_ that Jak threw.

"God, he is _such_ a drama queen," Bankotsu muttered.

"Um, do you want us to go forward with the changes or…?" Sango trailed off.

"Yes, do everything we talked about, including dropping the middle two phrases." Seeing her expression, he added, "Don't worry. Jak will get over it eventually."

"If you're sure."

"Positive. Jak's difficult to work with, but when it comes to product innovation, he's brilliant. So we keep him around."

"I see." Sango knew what that could be like. Fortunately, Inuyasha's fits had always been reserved for the privacy of the office when no clients were around to see. She suspected he had learned the hard way at some point along the line that those sorts of things ought to have as few witnesses as possible.

"Well, I should get going. At least we got everything done. And I'm glad we did the easy stuff first."

"Me too. The receptionist can call a cab for you."

"That would be great. Thanks." Bankotsu shook her hand and then Inuyasha's. "Take care." He picked up his briefcase and strode purposefully from the room.

"Well that was certainly interesting," Inuyasha commented.

"Indeed."

Silence reigned for a minute.

"Um, you mentioned that you wanted to talk about something when I called last night?" Inuyasha asked.

"Yeah. Let's go back to my office though. This is a little more public than I would like."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he gathered up the files. Sango picked up the last few, and they left the meeting room.

…

The bell signaling the end of English class finally rang after what seemed like an eternity. Kohaku jumped up from his chair, throwing the novel they had been discussing in his backpack, and rushed out the door. He was hoping to catch Rin before she ensconced herself in the library for the duration of study hall. He shoved his way through the masses in the hallway, craning to look over the other students toward the library entrance. He spotted Rin just as she was about to go in, but he was still a good twenty feet away and hidden by the torrent of students exiting their classrooms.

"Rin!" He shouted over the din. She didn't seem to hear him. "Rin!" He tried louder this time.

She turned, looking around to see who had called her name.

"Rin!" He yelled again, as he finally managed to break through the crowd to get to her.

"Kohaku!" She exclaimed, her face breaking into a smile. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," he said as he reached her side. "I have a question for you, but we should wait until everyone's cleared out so we can actually hear ourselves think," he said loudly over the chatter.

"Sure." They retreated out of the crowd to stand next to a line of lockers.

Finally, the swarm of students dissipated, and they were left standing alone in the quiet hallway.

"So, what's your question?" she asked.

"Uh, well—" Kohaku's throat was suddenly very dry.

"Is something wrong?" She frowned at him. "You look a little pale."

"No, no, I'm fine…" _She's just your friend, _he reminded himself. _You guys hang out after school and study together all the time. This is no big deal. _"Um, well, you know that math test we just got back?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I—I got an 'A,' and Sango said she would take me out to dinner to celebrate tonight. And—and, well, I thought since it was you that helped me get that grade, maybe you'd want to come with us?" Kohaku licked his lips nervously.

"I—I don't know…" Rin said softly. Kohaku's face fell. "No! I don't mean I don't want to go! I do! I just, well, Sessh would probably let me, but I don't think Kagura would want me to go."

"Oh. Well, do you think you could call him then? If he says yes, Kagura wouldn't say no…" he wheedled.

Rin smiled. "You know, you're a bad influence, asking me to manipulate my foster-parents like that. I know you don't like Kagura—"

"Neither do you," he interjected, "And how do you expect me to like her after what she's—"

"Not here!" Rin hissed.

"Sorry," he muttered. "It's just that…"

Rin stepped forward and put a quieting hand on his arm. She looked up into his deep brown eyes. "I know. But there's nothing you or I can do about it right now. So try not to worry too much okay?" She gave him a small smile, which he tentatively returned.

He sighed. "I'll try." He would try anything to see a smile in her eyes. Right now, though the corners of her lips turned upward, her eyes still carried that familiar pain.

"I'll call Sessh and ask him, okay?" Rin said, removing her hand from Kohaku's arm so she could dig her phone out of her backpack.

Kohaku's smile became a little more genuine. "Okay."

…

"Hey, Sango, I'm gonna stop in Kagome's office real quick. I forgot to ask her yesterday about dinner tonight with my brother."

A smirk settled across Sango's features, but Inuyasha didn't see it. "Sure that's fine. I'll see you in my office in a few minutes…and good luck," she added amusedly.

"Keh." Inuyasha ducked into Kagome's office and Sango continued down the hall.

"Hey," he said by way of greeting.

"Hmmm…" Kagome's face was glued to her screen, and her fingers pecked the keyboard occasionally.

"Oi, Kagome! You in there?"

"What? Oh, it's you," she said, straightening up and looking a little annoyed. She was in a bad mood due to her continued coding troubles. "What do you want?"

"To ask you to dinner—" Kagome nearly fell off her chair in shock "—with my brother and I."

"Oh." She recovered herself. "You have a brother?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"And he wants me to come to dinner?"

"Yes."

"That's just creepy."

"Huh?"

"I didn't even know you had a brother, and yet he somehow knows of me and wants me to come to dinner. How is that _not_ creepy?"

"Well he's Youkai, so he senses things and—"

"Shh! What if someone's listening?"

Inuyasha scowled. "There's no one listening. I'd know."

"But your charm—"

"Isn't as strong as others. Notice how my hair's still white?"

"Whatever."

"Anyway, he felt your powers, or one of his contacts must have anyway."

"…Contacts?" This brother of his was starting to sound more like "Big Brother."

"There are other demons around. They stay concealed, but they do talk to each other. There's probably someone here at the firm who's a demon who noticed and word got around."

Kagome regarded him skeptically for a moment. "Wouldn't you know all of the demons here?"

"Not necessarily. If their charm is really strong, it would cover up the feel of their youki."

"But wouldn't they have noticed yours and sought you out?"

"Am I an approachable person?"

Silence greeted his question.

"My point exactly," said Inuyasha.

"…I suppose you could have told your brother and you're just not telling me…" Kagome mused.

"Me? Keh! Yesterday was the first time I'd seen the bastard in 65 years!"

"But didn't you notice the change?"

"Nah, don't pay enough attention. Human auras do weird things every now and then anyway, and when it's distorted by a charm…"

"So another demon—?"

"Would have to have taken his or her charm off to tell."

"And you didn't because—?"

"I'm busy and don't usually care."

Kagome snorted. "Ain't that a fact."

"Keh. So can you come to dinner tonight?"

"Let me get this straight," said Kagome. "Your brother wants to have dinner with us because some demon or another told him that I have crazy Spiritual powers that could possibly go haywire at any moment and fry him?"

"That pretty much sums it up, though with your charm now, you're not likely to fry anyone unless you take it off."

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied a little sarcastically. "So your brother just _expects_ me to come? Is he nuts?"

"Yes, and yes."

"I see. Well tell him thank you for the invitation, but I won't be coming."

"Kagome! You don't understand. You really do _have_ to come."

"Do you do everything your brother tells you to, Inuyasha?" She sneered. She'd really heard enough from him and needed to get back to work.

Inuyasha's cheeks pinked in sudden anger. "How _dare _you—!" He started, and then seemed to realize someone might hear the shout. He stepped over to her, placing his hands on the armrests of her chair, and stuck his face in hers.

"Don't you _ever_ say that again. Don't _ever _imply that I am subservient to my brother. _This_ could be a matter of life and death for _you_, if Naraku has anything to say about it—" His face was two inches from hers now, and she had pushed her head as far back into the headrest as she could "—as you should already _know_ from what happened last night." His nose was almost touching hers now, and his golden eyes bored into her brown ones. "So you _will_ come tonight so I don't have to watch Naraku kill someone else—!" Inuyasha sounded like he was going to add something after the "someone else," but he cut off whatever it was.

Kagome stared at him, surprised by his intensity. His nose was still extremely close to hers, and she grew uncomfortable as she noticed his breath ghosting across her mouth.

"Well?" He said harshly, eyes still locked with hers.

"I—" _Anything_ to get him to move. He was _way_ too close. "Alright, fine. I'll come."

He straightened up, finally giving her the breathing room she desired. "Good. 8 o'clock at Alinea. Wear something fancy."

"There better be a lot of explanations and free drinks," she snapped at him.

"There will be plenty of both. Sessh is buying," Inuyasha replied, still fuming. He strode out of her office.

Kagome watched his white hair flick around the corner of the doorframe. _Sheesh, you'd think I called his mother a whore or something,_ she thought. And, though his stare had been angry, she thought she might have detected something else there too. Something like fear had danced in the back of his eyes behind the anger. This Naraku character must be more serious than she thought. Whether it was fear of Naraku directly, or fear for her because of Naraku, she couldn't be sure. A part of her that she didn't want to acknowledge was hoping for the latter. Kagome shook her head. It wasn't even lunchtime yet, and here she was, already distracted from her work. She pushed aside her speculations and turned back to her computer screen.

…

"So what did you want to talk about?" Inuyasha asked from his seat at the desk opposite Sango. He'd managed to put a calm face on after the incident with Kagome, though his mind had yet to be so. _Bitch, _he thought, _I am _not_ at my brother's beck and call. She's gonna end up dead or worse if we're not careful, just like—_

"Well, there's something you should know about me, if you haven't already figured it out."

Inuyasha looked at Sango blankly, jarred back to reality by her voice.

"I'm—" She started and stopped as she saw Miroku walk by her door for the third time. Sango scowled. "Close the door first."

Inuyasha complied, wondering what on earth she could possibly need to say that required such privacy.

"You don't think there's anyone listening, do you?" She asked lowly.

"I don't think so." Inuyasha was sure that Miroku had given up for the moment. His senses told him the hallway beyond the closed door was empty for the time being.

"Good. I'll just come out and say this, and save us any beating around the bush. I'm a Slayer."

Inuyasha stared at her.

"_What? _As in _the _Slayers? Demon Slayers?"

"Bingo."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Prove it."

Knowing he would probably demand such a thing, she rolled up her sleeve and proffered her forearm. Inuyasha inspected the mark for a minute before pressing it lightly with his finger. Suddenly, the claw on that finger appeared. He withdrew his hand abruptly, and his claw once more looked like a normal fingernail.

"You are really a Slayer."

Sango rolled her sleeve back down. "Yes."

"So why the fuck didn't you tell me sooner, since I assume you already know what _I_ am!"

"You're a demon of the dog variety, correct?"

"Half-demon," he spat.

"Frankly, it doesn't matter to me. You have demon blood. You have demon senses and abilities. And I didn't tell you because I didn't know how you'd react. Not all demons have a good relationship with the Slayers, for obvious reasons."

"Keh! So, what, you thought I'd go on a rampage or something if I found out?"

"No, I just didn't know you well enough."

"And now you do, suddenly?"

"Well before there wasn't a reason to tell anyone anything! It's not like the Slayers run around advertising their existence to the world, you know."

"I still deserved to know! I have to work with you every day, for god's sake! It would have been nice to know that my boss is—" He stopped.

"Is _what?" _Sango dared him to finish the sentence.

"Well—"

"A _threat?_ A _killer?"_ Her eyes flashed.

"No, just—"

"Just _what_, Inuyasha?"

"Just—you should have told me! That's all!"

"Well I'm telling you now. Take it or leave it."

"Keh."

"Look, the fact that I'm a Slayer isn't even the most important thing right now. What _is _important, though, is that family that owned FoxBox are demons."

"You can't be serious." _That might mean that Naraku—_

"I'm completely serious."

"They must have had strong charms, cause I sure as hell didn't notice." Inuyasha was gradually getting over his shock, which was being replaced by fear that his theories might be correct. It made sense, her being a Slayer. In the two years he'd worked with her, she'd never questioned any of his antics, such as sprinting up several flights of stairs or carrying many more boxes of paper than a normal person his size ought to be able to. She'd simply smiled and thanked him for his efficiency. He now realized that must have been a _knowing_ smile.

"Very. Strong to the point of also trying to hide from other demons it seems, or at least that's what the Slayer Council told me when I asked about it. Their charms were enough to throw my counter charm for a bit of a loop, though I could still tell what they were."

"But why on earth any demon would want a charm that strong…That would just be obnoxious," Inuyasha said, thinking about how much he hated his own charm.

"That's exactly the thing that's making this suspicious to me. First, they have really strong charms and talk to no one from the local demon community. They live in isolation like that for years. And then, their shop explodes and they're dead."

"So why aren't you just taking this to the Slayer Council? Why tell me?" He was still a little stuck on the fact that she'd waited so long to say anything.

"Because the demon community needs to be warned if someone's targeting them, and they're not going to listen to what the Slayer Council says. Well, some of them might, but there are a lot of them that would point the finger at us, saying that we're trying to stage a cover-up."

"So you want _me_ to tell them? Surely I'm not the only demon here?"

"You're not the only one, but…you're the one I trust. I've worked with you the longest of anyone here."

Inuyasha didn't know what to say, particularly in light of what he'd implied about Sango when she told him her status as a Slayer. He couldn't remember the last time anyone said they trusted him with anything, and that included Kikyo, who he'd dated for almost 4 years. A touch of guilt nibbled at his conscience.

"I—well, I guess I could let Sesshoumaru know at dinner tonight."

"That's your brother?"

"Yeah, his network of demons is pretty extensive, and he has connections to the Youkai Courts, so he should be able to get a message out."

"Good. Thank you so much."

"Keh," he mumbled awkwardly.

"Is there anything else you know that the Slayer Council might want to know about this whole thing?"

Inuyasha thought for a minute. "Well, they did say on the news last night that there was a whole outbreak of deadly fires—and most of the victims were apparently shot and didn't die in the fires, according to the initial report."

Sango's eyes widened a touch. "Well, if it was in the news already, I'm sure they know, but it still wouldn't hurt to run this by them."

"Yeah. I'll tell Sessh what you said. I've also got some theories, but I want to talk to him first."

"That's fine."

"If what I'm thinking is correct, we may have to try to get the Slayer Council to work with the Youkai Council…"

Sango groaned. "I hope not. That would be one hell of a chore."

"Yeah, well. Who knows, maybe this will all just be a false alarm."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Me too," Inuyasha agreed. "Well, it's almost noon, so I'm gonna go get some lunch."

"Mk, see you later," Sango replied, turning back to her computer.

Inuyasha opened the door, walked out, and collided with Miroku, who had just rounded the corner next to Sango's office.

"Oof!"

"Could ya be a little less clumsy when you stalk Sango?" Inuyasha said, rubbing his shoulder. "I swear, you are always running into everyone. Sometimes I think you do it on purpose, just to be annoying."

"Does it work?" Miroku asked impishly.

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered. "I'm going to lunch."

"You do that," Miroku said, waving him off.

Miroku waltzed into Sango's office and planted himself right next to her, where he couldn't be ignored.

Sango looked up from her work. "Can I help you?"

"Why yes you can. You can come and have lunch with me for once instead of working through your break." He grinned down at her.

"Miroku, I have _way_ too much work to do after that meeting this morning—"

"Nonsense! Everyone needs to take a break sometime. Come and eat something with me."

"Miroku, I don't really think it's appropriate…"

"Sango, since when did having lunch with your colleague become inappropriate? It's not like I've asked you on a dinner date. What _were_ you thinking?" He winked at her.

"Oh, well, uh, nothing like _that_. I just, well, I really do have a lot of work to do," she finished lamely.

Miroku put his hand on her desk and leaned over her a little. "Sango," he said softly, sincerely, "You always work really hard. Please, just come down and take a break with me in the cafeteria. 20 minutes is all."

Sango sighed. She didn't like to admit it, but she really did want a break from dealing with all the stuff for Kosha. Her discussion with Inuyasha had hardly counted as it only served to stress her out further.

"Alright."

"Excellent!" Beamed Miroku.

…

Rin stood in the hallway with Kohaku, phone to her ear. It was on the fifth ring, and Sesshoumaru still hadn't picked up. It wasn't going to voicemail, so she knew he must be on the line with someone else. She waited.

"Hello, Rin," Sesshoumaru's voice finally came over the receiver.

"Hi, Sessh, sorry for calling you in the middle of the day, but I had a question for you."

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"It's study hall. Anyway, I was wondering if it would be alright if I went out to dinner with Kohaku and his family tonight. They're celebrating since he did well on the math test, and I helped him study, so he invited me to come…"

"What did Kagura say?"

"I—I haven't asked her."

"Hn."

"Pleeeeaase Shesshy?"

"I have a business dinner tonight, so that would leave Kagura alone if you also are out."

_Shit. If Sessh is also out, then I _really_ don't want to be at home for dinner…_ "Please, Sessh. It would really mean a lot to Kohaku and his family if I came." _And to me too._

She heard him sigh. "I will expect you home no later than 10 pm."

"Thank you, Sessh! Thank you so much!"

"Hn."

"Okay, well, um, I need to get back to study hall, so I'll see you later." She hung up. Rin turned to Kohaku, a huge grin on her face. "He said yes! He said yes!" And she leapt at Kohaku, wrapping her arms around him.

Kohaku's eyes went wide for a second, and then he returned the hug, unconsciously burying his face in her hair. He had hugged her plenty of times for comfort, but this was the first time he had done so for a happy reason. It felt wonderful. He pulled his nose out of her hair so he could look at her.

"I'm so glad you can come," he said sincerely.

Rin looked up at him with smiling eyes. Their faces were only a few inches apart. "Me too." She held his gaze. She could get lost there. _He's your best friend. Don't do anything stupid to mess it up, _she thought_, _even as her chin seemed to tilt of its own accord._ Besides, if Kagura found out, she might try to use him against you—_

Kohaku's heart was pounding hard in his chest. The look Rin was giving him, it was—it was—_Don't kiss her. Do. Not. Kiss. You're in the hallway at school. Someone could—_ He found himself closing the distance anyway, and he registered vaguely that she was doing the same—

"Students!" Barked a hall monitor, just before their lips met.

They sprang apart, turning red as a pair of cherries.

The hall monitor approached. A large and tall woman in her mid-fifties, she cut an imposing figure. Rin and Kohaku stood a couple feet apart, guilt, embarrassment, and nervousness written clearly across their faces.

"Skipping class are we?" She boomed.

"Um, actually, we have study hall—" Rin said timidly.

"You are still in the hallway without a pass, engaging in prohibited bodily contact."

If it was possible, Rin and Kohaku turned even redder. "Uh, sorry?" Kohaku said hopefully.

"Sorry indeed. Since you're not technically skipping class, and I'm feeling charitable, I won't write you up. However, if I catch you again, you will each get a detention. Off to the library with both of you."

"Yes, ma'am," Kohaku said, ducking his head at her.

"Thank you ma'am," Rin added.

They scurried into the library.

…

"Where do you want to eat?" Miroku asked as they entered the food court. There were several options, a Panda Express, Wendy's, Starbuck's, Subway, and a few others lined three of the walls.

"Subway, the line there is shortest."

"You're really trying to cut this as short as possible, aren't you, you workaholic?" He winked at her.

"You said 20 minutes. A shorter line means more time to eat and talk." She cocked an eyebrow at him. "That's what you wanted, right?"

For once, Miroku was at a loss for words, so he simply nodded and started over to the Subway. He suddenly realized that Sango wasn't following him and turned around. Sango stood rooted to the spot, staring in the direction of Starbuck's. She then seemed to look around for something, and dashed over to the Panda Express. Miroku was left amidst the sea of tables, extremely confused.

Inuyasha had just finished paying for his lo mein when Sango grabbed him.

"Come with me!" She hissed at him, dragging him by his shirt.

He shook her off. "Sango, what the hell?"

"Just come _on,"_ she insisted, regaining her grip on his sleeve.

"You're going to make me drop my food!" He snapped.

She let go of his sleeve. "Well then come over to that corner with me _now._ I need to ask you something important."

"Can't you ask me here?"

"No!" She moved to grab his sleeve again and he dodged out of the way.

"Alright! Alright! I'm coming!"

Sango hustled them to the corner she had pointed out and made sure that Inuyasha was the one with his back to the wall so he couldn't escape.

"Sango, what the _fuck_ is this about?"

"Kagome!"

"What?"

"Kagome!"

"For Christ's sake, woman, what _about_ Kagome?"

"She's a Spiritualist all of a sudden! A really really powerful one! I mean, her aura's been a little weird lately, but—"

"I know." Inuyasha shrugged.

"What do you mean, you know? You always wear your charm, so how—?"

"Long story. Basically, she was attacked last night by demons, her powers woke up, and Miroku took her to Fujiwara to get a charm, where I met up with them."

"Kagome was _attacked?"_ Sango asked in disbelief. "But she didn't say anything about—"

"Do you really think she would? It's not like she knows what you are."

"So what? I would have thought she'd have said something at least basic. Come to think of it, she hasn't come by my office at all today."

"She's having coding problems I think," he said. _Which would explain her bitchiness earlier._

"Whatever, that's off the subject. Is she alright?"

"She's here, isn't she?"

"Well yeah, but that doesn't mean—they—they didn't rape her or anything…did they?" Sango finished in a small voice.

"As powerful as she is? No, she barbecued them. And blew up a transformer in the process according to the cop I ran into last night."

Sango went wide-eyed. "Well shit."

"Shit indeed. Can I go eat my lunch now?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I was just surprised."

"Keh, I suppose you would be. I wasn't expecting you to be down here or I would have mentioned it."

"Yeah, Miroku dragged me down to eat something."

"And I think that's him over there," said Inuyasha, gesturing at a table over Sango's shoulder.

"Oh, right! I just left him there, didn't I?"

"Yup. Good job there, Sango," he said sarcastically.

"Shut it," she snapped, and hurried away.

Inuyasha shook his head and went to find a table to sit at alone, where he could think.

…

"Sorry about that," Sango said when she arrived at Miroku's table. He had decided just to go ahead and get his food when Sango had dashed off, figuring she would explain when she got back.

"That's alright," he replied, putting his sandwich down. "Was there a problem of some sort?"

"Um, sort of, but it's fine now," she said vaguely.

"Not going to share?"

"It's not important…"

"It seemed pretty important. Unless you've suddenly taken a fancy to Inuyasha? I can see the appeal—long white hair, the broad shoulders—"

"If I didn't know better, I'd think _you'd_ taken a fancy to him. I'm going to get food." She turned walked to the line, chuckling to herself.

Miroku shook his head. _Trust me to lose my usual edge now…_

Sango ordered her sandwich, and when she returned to the table, Miroku was on the phone. She waited politely for him to finish.

"—Yes, yes, that's fine. Let the nurses know I'll be there tomorrow afternoon to visit—no, I won't bring any flowers this time—sorry about that, I didn't mean to discomfit the other person sharing the room—Yes, thank you, I'm aware—Alright, well, thank you for the update—you too. Bye."

"Your uncle again?" Sango surmised.

Miroku sighed. "Yeah, he's been in and out of the hospital lately. He's getting old, and he drinks too much. They're saying he's got cirrhosis."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she said.

"It's alright. He's had chronic liver disease for a while, and I haven't been able to get him to stop drinking. He says he's old now, so it doesn't matter anymore."

"That's…depressing."

"No kidding." The man who had raised Miroku to enjoy some of the finer things in life was now slowly killing himself. Miroku sighed. "I think he misses my aunt, even after all these years."

"Have you taken him to see a therapist at all?"

"He went for a while, but he says it's a waste of money. He'd rather a bottle be his therapy."

"I see…"

Miroku chewed his lip in the ensuing silence.

"Do you mind if we talk about something else?" He asked.

"That's fine, I just, well, I hope things get better for you and him."

"Thanks…So, uh, do you have any plans for the weekend?"

"I do actually. Kohaku did well on his math test, so we're going out to dinner tonight to celebrate. A friend of his may even come with us."

"That's great! Where are you going?"

"It's a new Greek place downtown he wanted to try. I don't remember what it's called at the moment."

"Well, I hope you have a good time."

"Thanks."

Silence reigned again, broken up by the sounds of chewing.

"You know," Sango began, "you don't have to put on a happy face for me."

"Yeah. But I don't want to get bogged down in the negative stuff."

"Well, if you ever need to talk about anything…"

"Even with your schedule?" Miroku joked.

Sango cracked a small smile. "Even with my schedule."

* * *

><p>So, I just want to say that the idea of Tessaiga the sword being in the trunk of Tesaiga the car made me chuckle. And both are a little rickety on the outside and awesome on the inside. A perfect pair! :D Also, this chapter was a long one for me. And except for the first few paragraphs, it's almost entirely dialogue. Those character interactions were especially for you, Eien-no-Basho; I decided to honor your request for more interaction, so there ya go: a whole chapter of dialogue! :P Since this chapter is so long, there might be some typos, cause I've mostly been proof-reading in sections. If you find any errors, please let me know so I can fix 'em. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!<p>

-ebj


	5. Whiplash

**Chapter 5: Whiplash**

Hello everyone! Sorry about the hiatus! I am back now, and though updates will be less frequent than when I started this (a number of things have landed rather unceremoniously on my plate, including an actual full-time internship), the story is now resuming with what will likely be monthly updates. Yay! Some culinary notes before we proceed:

_Dolmades: _Are stuffed grape leaves filled with things like rice, dill, and pine nuts, among other delicious things. They're a Greek dish that's usually an appetizer.

The "twist of something pale" topping Kagome's salad is a vegetable called _jicama_, which is a crispy, sweet root vegetable that looks somewhat like a turnip, though it's actually a type of legume (meaning it's related to beans). Once peeled, the root is often shaved into neat spirals to use on salads, though it's also popular to slice it up into salsas and vegetable platters.

WARNINGS: Mild sexual/romantic situations, violence, sexual violence.

* * *

><p>Kagome spotted Inuyasha at a table by himself across the cafeteria. She wound her way through the maze of tables toward him, intent on apologizing for snapping at him earlier. She paused momentarily when she realized that his glassy-eyed stare out at the fake shrubbery lining the walls was tinged with anger and worry. Maybe now wouldn't be the best time. She turned to leave.<p>

"What do you want?" came Inuyasha's huffy voice.

Kagome spun back around, clutching her sandwich and coffee in surprise. "Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you—"

"Out with it already."

She shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't used to making apologies, and Inuyasha's demeanor wasn't exactly helping.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry—for earlier. I shouldn't have been so rude to you. I was just in a really bad mood from some programming problems, and you caught me off guard and I just didn't want—" Kagome cut herself off, realizing that she was babbling.

Inuyasha was staring at her, ever so slightly slack-jawed. _Kagome is apologizing?_ He thought. He made a mental note to check outside and see if pigs were flying past the windows.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, whatever, wench."

Kagome's mouth dropped open. "_What_ did you just call me?" Her voice pitched dangerously low.

Inuyasha realized his mistake a second too late; the word had already slipped out. He mentally kicked himself for talking like that to his coworker, in the public cafeteria no less, and tried to gather his thoughts.

"Uh, it's a habit, sorry, I—" he started.

"A _habit? A habit? _Disrespecting your coworkers like that is a _habit?_" She seethed at him.

_Crap._ He already had problems with his public reputation, and he didn't need an incident like this to make it worse. He stood up.

"I said I was sorry!" He hissed.

"Sorry indeed! I'll know you're sorry if you never call me that again!"

"Why don't you just—" He caught her expression, "—Augh!—Alright fine!"

Kagome turned to stomp away.

"Kagome, wait!" Inuyasha reached out and grabbed her wrist, just in case she had been planning on ignoring him.

Kagome jumped at the sudden hand on her wrist and yanked out of his grip. "_What?"_ She asked, fuming.

Inuyasha paused for a second under her glare. "My brother told me he wants us to turn off our cell phones before we leave for the restaurant."

Kagome crossed her arms. "Why?"

"He doesn't want us to be followed. Cell phones have GPS."

She blinked, realizing he was right, and wondered at the same time if that was how her attackers had found her last night.

"Fine, whatever," she snapped.

Watching her as she stomped off, Inuyasha was surprised that she had so readily agreed. Plopping back into his chair, he poked at his lo mein with his chopsticks, which was now looking sad and cold from inattention. Sighing, Inuyasha hoped that his brother would procure a private room at the restaurant, as he was pretty sure there were going to be some serious verbal fireworks. He also hoped that Kagome would have enough sense to keep her charm on at the height of her temper. Scratch that. He hoped they would _all_ have enough sense to keep their charms on.

…

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, with the exception of Hojo attempting to ask Kagome out for the evening when he went to tell her that the copy he had promised her was on the server. Kagome, for her part, was relieved that she didn't actually have to lie when she told him that she had other plans, and Hojo had skittered nervously out of the room without even thinking to ask if she was available next week. In her opinion, it was probably the only good thing that could come of the ridiculous dinner invitation with Inuyasha and his brother.

She packed up her bag at 5 pm and left, hoping she wouldn't run into Inuyasha on her way out. She didn't want to deal with him until she absolutely had to. Fortunately, luck seemed to favor her, and she made it out of the garage without seeing him.

…

"Something fancy…" Kagome muttered to herself as she rummaged through her closet. She didn't own any fancy dresses or skirts, which was probably just as well since it was getting colder, it being late October and all. Pants would have to suffice. She pulled a pair of high-cut black pants with a shiny, tuxedo-style stripe down the outside of the leg from the back of her closet. Tossing them over her arm, she dug around a little more and extracted a burgundy silk sleeveless shirt that was gathered slightly at the mock turtle neckline. She would just wear a jacket over the shirt.

Kagome pulled the garments on, pausing to button the three buttons at the back of the neck of her shirt, just above the keyhole-style opening. She frowned in concentration as she tied the sash of her pants into an intricate knot, one she had taught herself after getting into rock climbing and discovering that she had a way with rope.

She decided on a pair of sleek, patent leather flats, thinking that if Inuyasha's brother was concerned about them being followed, she didn't want to be stuck trying to run in heels.

…

Sesshoumaru was getting impatient. It was still technically early, but he didn't like to be kept waiting.

"Can I get you anything while you wait for your guests, sir?" the waiter asked politely.

"No, thank you. This is fine for now," he replied, gesturing carelessly at his glass of sparkling water.

"Well, do not hesitate to call me if you have need of anything, sir." He inclined his head slightly and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Sesshoumaru sighed, staring blankly at the décor that sat somewhere between cold post-modernism and café-esque warmth. Sculpted, richly upholstered chairs mingled with stark, perfectly cylindrical white lamps grouped along the wall. The result was a decidedly generic "expensive" vibe that no doubt appealed to most of the clientele. It was a mild annoyance to Sesshoumaru, who reminded himself that he came here for the food and the service, not the décor.

…

Unbeknownst to Sesshoumaru, someone else was sharing his impatience. Kagome was tapping her fingers on her crossed arms while she waited for Inuyasha to show up. The valet had already taken her car for her, and she was left standing awkwardly outside the restaurant. She might have considered going in since it was a little chilly, but Kagome had no real desire to meet Inuyasha's brother alone. She wasn't afraid; she simply thought that since Inuyasha had dragged her into this, it was his duty to make proper introductions. So she waited.

When she saw Inuyasha's car come around the corner, she both breathed a sigh of exasperated relief and felt a knot of apprehension twist in her gut. She'd be able to go inside out of the cold, but now she had to deal with Inuyasha, with whom she hadn't parted on the best of terms that afternoon.

Inuyasha pulled up and stepped out of his car, tossing his keys to the valet. He paused when he saw Kagome waiting for him, looking slightly grumpy.

"You're late," she huffed.

He checked his watch. "Actually, I'm a minute early." He grinned cockily at her annoyance. "Are you that eager to meet my brother?"

"Shut up. I'm early because traffic wasn't as bad as I was expecting it would be."

Inuyasha could agree with that. Traffic had been surprisingly light, given the hour and the day of the week. In fact, that was the only reason why he had been a minute early instead of 10 or 15 minutes late.

"Keh," he mumbled, and followed her inside.

They divested themselves of their coats, handing them over to the woman behind the coat-check window. Inuyasha turned, expecting to see Kagome wearing a similar black dress to what most of the other women in the restaurant had on. He sucked in a surprised breath. Not only was she wearing _pants_ instead of a dress, the red silk top she had on stood out against the sea of black that was the other customers' attire. And against her dark, wavy hair, some part of his brain noted. The sash showed off her trim waist, and that same part of his brain insisted that she looked _good._

"Are you done staring?" Kagome snapped, though if she was honest, she had been doing the same to him. The dark gray suit he was wearing contrasted nicely with his silvery hair, and the slash of red dress shirt offset his golden eyes.

Inuyasha jumped slightly, but quickly regained his composure. "You, er, clean up nicely."

"Don't act so surprised," she said, making her way to the hostess.

"I don't think I was the only one surprised," he muttered to himself. The same part of his brain that had registered her attractiveness had also noticed her eyes sliding appreciatively over his frame as he removed his coat.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." He turned to the hostess. "Inuyasha Taisho and Kagome Higurashi. We're the guests of Sesshoumaru Taisho," he told her.

The hostess smiled as she checked their names off her list. "Right this way please," she said, gesturing for them to follow.

…

Sango drummed her fingers in mild impatience on the steering wheel as she watched Kohaku shifting nervously on his toes in front of the sea-green door to Rin's house. After another minute, the front door opened and Rin stepped out, greeting Kohaku with a friendly embrace. The corner of Sango's mouth quirked up in amusement at the slight flush that appeared across her little brother's cheeks. The two teenagers conversed briefly before heading down the brick steps to the car.

Sango rolled down a window as they approached. "You two can ride in the back if you want. I'll be your chauffeur for the evening," she said with a wink and an impish grin. The lingering blush on Kohaku's cheeks warmed up a shade, and Rin laughed.

Elbowing Kohaku gently, she said, "Just pretend she's the Secret Service and we're the President."

"President? Singular?" asked Kohaku with an amused grin, as he opened the car door.

"Well if you're concerned about numbers, I suppose you can be the Vice President then," Rin replied smugly, climbing into her seat, Kohaku close behind.

"Hey! That's not fair!"

"Actually," Sango interjected as she released the parking break, "I'll be the President and _you_ can be the Secret Service."

"Cool, we can be spies!" Rin giggled.

"Does this mean I get to drive?" Kohaku eagerly asked, leaning forward with a mischievous smile.

Sango quirked an eyebrow at him. "No," she said definitively, and pressed the gas suddenly, jerking Kohaku unceremoniously back into his seat. "And put your seatbelt on." She tossed a grin at him in her rear view mirror.

"I am so unloved…" Kohaku sighed with mock sorrow, but obeyed the order to buckle his seatbelt.

…

Inuyasha, Kagome, and Sesshoumaru sat sipping their glasses of Pinot Grigio in strained silence. Inuyasha had made the appropriate introductions, but now Sesshoumaru seemed content to simply study the two of them across the table. Kagome was absently jangling her leg. Inuyasha noticed.

"Quit it," he muttered under his breath.

Kagome stilled the movement, though she made no reply. No fireworks, though Inuyasha felt instead as though the scent of gas was filling the air, waiting for a match to be struck.

Still, Sesshoumaru stared, though his unreadable expression shifted minutely. He sat, silent, resplendent, and cold in a sleek black suit and silvery gray shirt. Kagome was looking everywhere but him, not wanting to be pinned with his narrow yellow gaze. She tried to find the cylindrical lamps interesting, but failed miserably, just as their designer had failed to capture elegant simplicity and instead run headlong into simplistic achromatic boredom. Kagome could hardly stand it any longer. She opened her mouth to say she knew not what, when the door opened and the waiter arrived with their first course. A small sigh escaped her mouth.

"Here you are," he said, placing the plates of artistically sculpted salad with elegant gestures. "May I get you anything else?"

"No, thank you," Sesshoumaru replied. The waiter bowed himself out.

Kagome looked askance at the salad, a tiny display of artistic culinary mastery. There seemed to be layers of a few types of greens of various colors, arranged in overlapping fan shapes, scattered delicately with mandarin oranges, slivered strawberries, and mild goat cheese. A twist of something pale splayed atop the construction, the identity of which was completely lost to Kagome. The whole thing was drizzled with a vaguely pink vinaigrette.

Unsure where to start, Kagome fell back on an old etiquette standby: wait for the host to start and emulate. She looked tentatively at Sesshoumaru, who was regarding his salad with an eyebrow so barely raised that she would have missed it had she not been studying him so closely. Sesshoumaru raised his eyes ever so slightly, enough to catch Kagome's stare and freeze her in place.

Caught off-guard, she instinctively dropped what she hoped was an impassive mask across her features. If Sesshoumaru's subtle downward quirk of his mouth was any indication, she had been successful.

Inuyasha watched the non-verbal exchange without comment. Instead, he stabbed his salad roughly with his fork, the utensil clanking harshly against the white stoneware plate. Kagome jumped. Sesshoumaru stiffened faintly.

Kagome picked up her fork and speared an orange, wondering what on earth had just happened. Was Sesshoumaru sizing her up? That idea seemed utterly ridiculous, and yet she got the distinct sense that he was somehow appraising her. How she had arrived at such an impression was a mystery, since his cold gaze overtly betrayed nothing. It dawned on her as she chewed, however, that it must have been in the set of his jaw and the tiny frown that had fluttered briefly across his mouth.

The food was a small distraction from the taut silence, if only because the gentle clatter and scrape of utensils surreptitiously punctured the strain in the air.

Try as she might, Kagome could find nothing visual in the room to hold her interest. The abstracts on the wall were almost worse than the lamps; in each, a few ink and pencil lines wiggled inelegantly around the smooth page, and somewhere an artist was laughing all the way to the bank. She wanted to smirk at the thought of the sucker who paid for the 'artworks,' but remembered where she was when she caught Inuyasha's tight expression out of the corner of her eye. She scrunched her toes in her shoes instead, momentarily distracting herself with the feel of the leather.

Her shoe squeaked.

To Kagome, the sound seemed to scream through the stiff clinking of forks. She looked up guiltily to find Inuyasha glaring at her sideways. Her lips thinned into a line, and she risked a glance across the table; Sesshoumaru though, appeared to either not have heard it or not to care, though Kagome was betting on the latter. Silently furious with herself and feeling incredibly self-conscious, she returned her attention to her food, where she resorted to imagining how she could make her plate and its slowly dwindling contents into a web page.

She frowned slightly in concentration, as mandarin oranges became buttons, the veins of the salad greens lines of text. The dark green leaves dropped into the background, as she absently scooted the greens into a vague rectangular shape. The strawberries—

Inuyasha finally broke. "Would tell us what the hell you want already?" He snapped loudly, slamming his fork down on the table.

Kagome jumped again, her brain still half caught in trying to make a comparison between goat cheese and visited links.

Sesshoumaru merely gave Inuyasha a disinterested look before turning back to his food—

And the silence collapsed around them. A huge crash sounded a number of yards behind the door, followed by several urgent shouts. Then a loud _pop!_ A shriek. Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped up.

They all thrust their chairs back at the same time, leaping to their feet. Kagome started to the door. Inuyasha grabbed her arm.

"Not that way!" He pulled her toward the back of the room, where a tall narrow window was set in the corner of the wall. Glass exploded toward them.

…

Kohaku played nervously with his dolmades as Sango interrogated Rin about her studies and her family. He shouldn't have worried, as Rin did seem to be enjoying herself, but he was afraid that Sango would ask difficult questions about Rin's family situation. Soon enough, though, the topic of conversation turned to Kohaku himself.

"So, tell me, Rin, is Kohaku behaving himself at school?" Sango asked with a glimmer in her eye.

"I'm right here you know—" Kohaku started to interject.

"For the most part," Rin smiled, her sudden hand on Kohaku's knee under the table silencing him effectively. Kohaku bit his lip. He glanced over at her. She wasn't even looking at him, just smiling away innocently at Sango. His inward grin fought with mild embarrassment.

"Have _you_ been behaving yourself?" Sango asked, just as innocently, subtly leaning forward over the table.

Rin's composure momentarily cracked, a flash of guilty embarrassment flitting across her face. Under the table, she withdrew her hand from Kohaku's knee as though burned. Kohaku jumped slightly at the sudden loss of contact.

"What? I—of course!" Rin stammered, forcefully plastering an easy smile back on her face. "I mean, I've got good grades, and—"

Sango chuckled, leaning back in her seat. Rin paused.

"It's alright. I'm just giving you a hard time, Rin." Then she added with a smirk, "I'm pretty sure you're the reason Kohaku behaves himself as well as he does."

"That's hardly fair—" Kohaku started indignantly.

"Perhaps," agreed Sango, "But you said yourself that Rin is the reason you got the grade you did."

"That's true," he said, and couldn't help the grin that crept across his features as he looked sideways at his friend. Rin positively beamed back at him.

…

"What is the status of the mission?" An icy voice issued from the silhouette of an executive chair.

"They are currently pursuing the targets," a quavering female voice answered from the semi-darkness.

"I hope I do not need to remind you what will happen should they fail to retrieve them, Kagura."

"You do not, milord," she replied, licking her lips nervously.

"Then you are dismissed."

Footsteps receded. Then a pause.

"Milord?"

"I believe I have dismissed you."

"But, milord, I would ask—"

"Do not test me Kagura. Doing so on such a night would be especially unwise."

"Yes, milord."

A heavy door gently clicked shut.

…

As glass rained down on them, Inuyasha yanked Kagome out of the path of a black-cloaked demonic blur.

"Get on!" He shouted to her over the din.

"What?"

"Piggyback!"

Kagome hesitated another second. It cost her. Something heavy impacted her shoulder, sending her tumbling to the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she looked wildly around for Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. Somehow, Inuyasha was still next to her, attempting to hold off several black-clad demons, though his charm still remained firmly around his neck. Sesshoumaru was framed in the window, charm removed, wielding an acid green whip to great effectiveness.

A huge crash sounded; a brief paralysis overtook them as demons flowed through the destroyed door.

Something clicked in Kagome's mind. Her hand twitched and moved of its own accord to the charm clasped around her neck. A woman's voice rang through her mind like a warning bell. _Protect them._ Realizing on an instinctive level that she was no longer in control of her body's movements, she filled her lungs for a panicked shout.

"Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, get out! I can't—I can't—"

Sesshoumaru turned his head for a split second, spotted her hands at the clasp of her charm, felt the foreign aura she emanated, and went sailing out the window, taking several demons with him.

"Kagome, don't—!" Inuyasha started. Too late.

Swifter than she should have been able, she grabbed him around the neck, tucking herself around his surprised and struggling frame as she brought them both to their knees. Black figures closed around them. Kagome shut her eyes, knowing what was coming, knowing it was impossible to fight the well of power within her.

Golden light filled her, surrounded her, she floated oddly peacefully for a second before it all condensed.

Kagome's eyes snapped open and her head jerked up, gold-washed irises staring unseeingly at the demons now within inches of her.

Inuyasha froze underneath her. His face spun toward hers as he felt the spiritual power compress and her strange aura rise. A blinding flash of gold. Demonic shrieks. Pain. His eyes squeezed shut. _I have to contain this._ Then his charm was in his hands, and red joined gold, lapping against the edges of the room. _Ah, the walls are still there,_ he thought hazily. A weight collapsed on top of him, forcing the air out of his chest. An acrid tang wafted across his nose. _We should probably…probably…_ his senses fuzzed out as oppressive smoke filled his lungs.

…

Rin inhaled the delicious smell of melted chocolate as the waiter set their respective desserts in front of them. She had ordered a dark chocolate flourless cake topped with hot fudge and fresh raspberries, and the scent alone was heaven. Kohaku leaned over her shoulder a little, suddenly slightly jealous of her order. He'd gotten apple cobbler, thinking that a flourless cake sounded a little odd.

Sango grinned at them across the table, noting Kohaku's veritable leer at Rin's cake.

"I'm sure Rin'll share with you if you ask," Sango suggested as she stuck her fork into her peach pie.

Kohaku made his best puppydog face as Rin turned to him, smirking as she stuck a bite of cake in her mouth.

"Mmmmmm," She said, making her best food-gasm face.

Kohaku's expression went from puppy to kicked-puppy.

Sango burst into giggles at his face, nearly choking on her pie.

"Ha—Excuse—" She coughed, "—Me—hrk! Uhum—" She took a swig from her water glass and coughed again. "I'll be back in a—" another cough "—minute." Sango tossed her napkin on her chair and headed for the ladies' room.

"Nice job, Rin," Kohaku said sarcastically.

"What? You're the one that made the face."

"But you _caused_ me to make the face with your—your—"

"Teasing?" She replied with a grin.

"Hmph."

"You can have some, you know."

"Really?" His face lit up as he reached for his fork. Rin stayed his hand.

"On one condition."

"What's that?"

Rin allowed her smile to turn mischievous.

"What?" Kohaku asked again.

Rin speared a piece of cake with her fork. "This," she replied, bringing the bite to his mouth.

Kohaku bit his lip.

"C'mon, what's the matter?" She asked.

"We're in _public," _he muttered.

"So? You let me feed you cookies at lunch all the time!"

"But that's different…"

Rin rolled her eyes. "No it's not. School's pretty public if you ask me, _and_ since they're cookies, I don't use a _fork."_

Really, she had him there.

"Alright," he agreed, with slight embarrassment.

"Yay!" She brought the cake back to his mouth. He parted his lips to take the bite. "Chugga-chugga-choo-choooo," she muttered, quietly so only he could hear. Kohaku's mouth snapped shut.

"Rin!" He hissed.

"Whhaaat?" She asked innocently.

"Don't _do_ that."

"Do whaaat?"

"The train thing! You know I hate it!"

"Oh, fiiiine. Here," she said, offering him the fork full of cake once again.

As he took the bite, Kohaku felt sheer warm deliciousness flow over his tongue, and he closed his eyes involuntarily. _I guess Rin's expression was only sort of faked,_ he thought, languidly enjoying the flavor in his mouth. A touch on his lip snapped his eyes open.

"You had chocolate on you," Rin informed him, showing him the chocolate coated fingertip she'd just drawn away from his mouth.

"…Oh."

Rin looked at Kohaku, then at the chocolate on her finger, then back at him.

"So do you want to lick this, or should I?"

Kohaku's brain just stopped. "I—uh—" _She just asked—and I want—but we're not even—_

"Well?" She asked expectantly. "Can't let it go to waste ya know…"

"Um—why don't you—just, uh—it's your cake—"

"You sure you don't want it?" She brought her finger to hover at his lips.

Kohaku suddenly felt rather warm. "Uhhh, no, uh, I think you should have it." He swallowed hard. _I can't—her finger's right there and oh god but we're in the middle of a restaurant and—_ His tongue darted out to lick his lips, but Rin's chocolate coated fingertip was close enough that he grazed it with his tongue and suddenly her finger was in his mouth and he tasted cocoa and sugar and _her_ and his eyes slid shut as the tiniest of moans escaped him.

Rin thought she would die when she felt the subtle vibration at her fingertip. Her mouth dropped just slightly open —_oh my god, I can't believe—and I was so sure he wouldn't, and here he is just—just— _she felt the heat in her rise as he laved the pad of her finger with his tongue again. The chocolate was _definitely_ gone, and she lost herself in sensation as Kohaku slid his lips further down to her knuckle. She sucked in a sharp breath when she felt his tongue graze the underside of her finger from the base all the way to the tip, where he let it out with a small pop. Rin was staring, transfixed at the point where the pad of her finger still rested against his lips.

Kohaku took her hand, trailing his lips across her palm before bringing it away from his mouth as he met her gaze. His brown eyes were aflame as he brought his free hand to her cheek.

"Rin…" he said a little shakily, leaning toward her, "I—"

"Hey guys!" Rin and Kohaku sprang back from each other, blushing furiously. "Sorry I took so long! There was a line and—" Sango paused, suddenly realizing something was amiss. She looked from one red face to the other. "Uh, did I interrupt something…?"

Rin's smile was too wide. "No, not at all! It's fine, come sit down!"

Kohaku was tight lipped as he returned to his apple cobbler.

"You okay?" Sango asked after a minute.

Kohaku forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinkin,'" he replied, which was basically true. Well, the thinking part anyway. Fine, not so much. His mind was racing faster than his pulse even, as he considered the implications of what had just occurred.

…

Kagura lay on the tile floor, still shuddering. There was no blood, but aching pain was everywhere. She felt her head lifted gently from the floor, and a light brush tickled her forehead as sweaty hair was almost tenderly swept aside.

"Don't tell me you've had enough already…" His breathy voice came close to her ear, caressing the side of her neck. "If you want, we can play a different game… It could be…pleasurable…" She flinched as long fingers wove under her collar, stroking the top of her breast. He paused. "You prefer the pain?" Fingers flicked down to pinch her nipple.

"N—"

"What was that?" He gently pricked the areola with a fingernail.

Her blood exploded with fire, veins became rivulets of magma. "NO!" Kagura shrieked, "I said no!" She convulsed in his arms, fighting the urge to scream again.

"Hmm…" He ran his thumb over the tiny wound and it disappeared, the skin looking once again untouched. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips. "You know, this is twice in a row you've failed me…and with the same assignment, no less…"

"But, but the first time...I…didn't fail." She gripped her arms, fighting the ache that invaded every limb.

"You were supposed to bring her to me. The plant was a last resort," he said, toying idly with a lock of her hair.

"But milord, we had no idea—"

"Are you arguing with me?" He asked silkily, clawed fingernail suddenly poised at her throat.

"N—No, of course not…" She answered breathlessly, eying the razor-like nail.

"You're an insolent bitch, you know," he mused, running the pad of his thumb across the vein in her neck, "…And with your recent failures…"

She swallowed, willing the icy hand away. "I'm sorry, milord…"

"You make me wonder whether you enjoy this…"

Kagura's eyes grew round. "N-never."

"I can _make _you enjoy it, you know…" He let his head drop close to her ear "…I could make pain into pleasure, pleasure into pain…"

She stiffened when she felt his teeth bite lightly on her ear, tongue flicking out to trace the edge.

"…A caress would make you shriek in pain, a blade in your side…would make you scream with ecstasy…" he continued, enjoying the way her body tensed.

"Y-you wouldn't…"

A sickly smile wound its way across his face. "That pathetic excuse for a demon you call 'husband' wouldn't be able to touch you…And I—" He licked her languidly from collarbone to jaw.

"P-please…" She whispered hoarsly.

"I won't," he said soothingly, lipping her earlobe and twisting a lock of her hair around a long, pale finger, "for now. But if you fail me again…"

Silently, she nodded.

…

"Unnnnggghhhh…" Kagome groaned, her shifting pulling a slight squeak from the leather. _Leather…?_ She thought confusedly, _what in the hell…? _Her eyes cracked open to take in her surroundings, but her muddled gaze met only with outlines in the semi-darkness. Suddenly she felt them. _Demons!_ Her mind shrieked at her, and she sat bolt upright, ready to flee or fight. _Wait, I'm not tied up? Then what…?_ Calming slightly, Kagome realized that the auras she felt so strongly belonged to two very familiar presences—

"You're awake," said a pretentious voice.

Kagome turned to see the top half of Sesshoumaru outlined in the dimness against an expansive window, the rest of his figure hidden by what appeared to be a large desk. Inuyasha was seated in a chair across from him, his profile catching the bluish light filtering into the room.

"Yeah…" Kagome replied distractedly, trying to discern her surroundings better. "Where are we anyway?"

"My office," Sesshoumaru stated shortly. "Join us at my desk."

Still a little too out of it to notice the lack of a polite "please," Kagome started to get up. The room spun and teetered abruptly in her vision. "Woah…" she mumbled, trying to keep her balance. She put her hand out to steady herself on the arm of the sofa. The room sped up. "Ummm…."

A pair of hands on her shoulders steadied her and guided her back to her seat.

"Sorry…" Kagome muttered, trying to focus on her helper. She finally managed to get the room to stop spinning. "…Inuyasha?" She said a little louder in mild surprise. _Who else would it be, dummy?_ Her brain helpfully supplied.

"We can discuss this just as easily over here. Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked gruffly, trying to mask the concern in his eyes.

_Inuyasha's being civil? …I suppose I did save all of our asses back there… _"Yeah…I guess I kind of over-did it earlier…" _At what cost?_ Her mind continued.

Inuyasha frowned. "Kind of?" He wasn't entirely in tip-top shape either from having to contain her energies in the room.

"Well, we're all safe…" she mumbled sheepishly.

"For the time being," Sesshoumaru cut in as he pulled Inuyasha's now unoccupied chair over to the sofa where the two were already sitting. "What I would like to know is—" he placed his hands on the back of the chair, staring down at them, "—who left their cell phone on?" Here he set his narrow yellow gaze on Kagome, whose bewildered expression only deepened his frown.

"But—but I turned mine off," she stammered.

"Inuyasha has already made the same claim, and backed it up when he showed me the phone."

"But I did!" Kagome insisted. She felt like a small child being chastised by an angry parent, and the fact that her mind was still a little fuzzy wasn't helping matters. "It's in my purse. It's off, I swear. Here—" she cast around, looking for her bag, and finally spotted it in the shadows next to the sofa. She grabbed it and rifled through the contents before extracting her phone.

Sesshoumaru watched her flurry of activity, his ire threatening to crack his mostly impassive mask.

"See?" Kagome said triumphantly. The screen of the phone was dark.

Sesshoumaru came around the chair and plucked the phone from her grasp. He pushed a button. It was indeed off. Slowly, he sat down.

They all stared at each other, wondering, _how?_

"When you were attacked last night…" Inuyasha started slowly, "What happened?"

"What? But that—"

"Was also Naraku, and you haven't told me what happened yet."

"Um, well, it's a little blurry…but they grabbed me when I got out of my car…and then I hit one of them that was holding me and started to run, but they caught me again and I…and I…" She stopped, not wanting to continue.

"You protected yourself," Sesshoumaru supplied matter-of-factly.

_At what cost?_ Her brain asked again. "Yes…I guess I did. And, and afterward, I guess I lost my jacket somehow, because I had to go get it from the parking lot and—"

Inuyasha practically dove off the sofa to grab the gray bundle that was Kagome's coat off the floor.

"Inuyasha, what—?" Kagome started. "Hey!" He had started to emptying pockets and turning the sleeves inside out. Kagome tried to grab it from him, but Sesshoumaru stopped her. "Why are you—?" she started to snap, trying to remove his hand from her wrist.

"Got it!" pronounced Inuyasha, as he pulled something from the collar of her coat.

"What is _that?"_ Kagome asked incredulously, as he waved a small black piece of plastic in front of them.

"It's a tracking device," Sesshoumaru replied. "It appears that this may have been the real intent behind your attack last night."

"…Oh." She looked sheepishly at Inuyasha.

"'Oh,' indeed. Well now we've got our answer, so lets crush this damn thing," Inuyasha dropped the device on the floor to stomp on it.

"Don't," Sesshoumaru interjected sharply.

Inuyasha stopped, but he didn't lower his foot.

"You can see it's already been disabled," he continued, "likely due to the light show you two put on earlier. We should investigate it and see if we can get any further information."

Sesshoumaru was right. The tiny LED light was out.

"Oh alright." Inuyasha picked up the device. "Here." He tossed it to Sesshoumaru, who caught it deftly. "Are you going to tell us what you wanted to talk about earlier?" Inuyasha added.

Sesshoumaru carelessly flicked a strand of silvery hair off his sleeve. "Of course. I had originally intended to discuss my theories with you, but tonight's attack proves some of them beyond any doubt."

"And what are those?" Kagome asked, finally starting to feel a little more like herself.

"First and foremost is that Naraku has thoroughly infiltrated the police for them to have stayed away for as long as they did."

"Then what about the people in the restaurant? Are they alright?"

"'Alright' is a relative term. The humans who were present will all survive."

Kagome grimaced. "The demons?"

"You should know the answer to that."

She shrank back into the sofa.

"All of them were Naraku's lackeys, if that makes it any better," Inuyasha tried to soothe. Her obvious distress was making him uncomfortable.

"A little," Kagome whispered. Another thought occurred to her, "But, won't people know about this? How do we hide something that—that—" She paused.

"Blatant?" Inuyasha suggested.

"Yeah," she agreed self-consciously.

"That brings me to my second point," Sesshoumaru said. "At the moment it appears that he cares just as much as we do about keeping the secret of Youkai, since a story was already given out about what happened at the restaurant before I could fabricate one myself."

Inuyasha sat back a little. "Well that could work to our advantage."

"Or disadvantage. Humans are dense, but not _that_ dense. He will have to start being more subtle at some point," Sesshoumaru mused.

Kagome snorted. "Oh, and demons are _so_ intelligent," she said sarcastically, shooting Inuyasha a significant look. He glared back.

Sesshoumaru ignored them, continuing, "Third, which is something I have yet to completely confirm, Naraku has a network that has already infiltrated the Youkai Courts, simply based on several questionable verdicts that have recently been handed down related to demon-human confrontation."

"What do you mean?" Kagome frowned.

"I mean that recent verdicts were a little too much in favor of known criminals within the Youkai community."

"But, if all that's true," Inuyasha began, "that means he's got his hands in pretty much _everything._"

"Indeed."

"But what else?" Kagome remembered Kali shouting something about Naraku's recent exploits the previous night, but she was hard pressed to remember exactly what they were.

Turning to Kagome, Inuyasha started ticking things off on his fingers. "He's got a seat in the state congress and he's the head of the board of a communications firm that's at _least _as big as AdHOC, which means he's got control of the PR flow for who knows how many companies…Oh, and on top of that there are those attacks that everyone keeps blaming on the Mafia."

"So those fires being covered in the news lately—"

"Are likely Naraku's doing," Inuyasha finished. "Of course there are demons in the Mafia, but the organization is likely to be a target just because they're another power structure that might get in the way. At least it would explain why he's been pushing in congress for more government funding to crack down on them."

"Indeed. Which means that the Demon Slayers and the Order of Isis must be extremely cautious," Sesshoumaru added, "as they are also large power structures."

"And the Order of Isis is what exactly?" Kagome queried.

"They are an elite group of human priestesses," Sesshoumaru supplied, "and I am rather surprised that they have not contacted you yet."

"And Naraku probably has something to do with that," Inuyasha muttered darkly.

"Extremely likely," Sesshoumaru agreed.

"So what am _I_ supposed to do about this?" Kagome asked, feeling rather uncomfortably at the center of the swirling mess they were discussing.

"Try not to get your ass kidnapped," Inuyasha said bluntly.

"Oh, how helpful," Kagome replied sarcastically.

"Crude as he may be, Inuyasha is correct on that matter. We're not sure why yet, but Naraku obviously wants you for something, and we cannot let him have it."

"I'm sure there are other priestesses who he could use… what about keeping them safe?"

"As far as we know they are. You on the other hand, he has attacked twice in as many days. If that does not speak of his desire, then nothing does."

Kagome hugged her arms to her chest. The word _desire_ did not sit particularly well with her.

"She's already had her apartment charmed. Miroku told me that much. There's not a whole lot else we can do," said Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, I would think that with this latest profession of yours, you would think a little more creatively. There are _always_ options."

"And those would be?"

"You will stay with her as much as possible. Including at her apartment."

The identical looks of horror that Kagome and Inuyasha gave Sesshoumaru almost made him chuckle. Almost.

"No way!" They said simultaneously, then glared at each other.

"He's going to drive me up the wall—"

"She's gonna make me insane—"

Ignoring their complaints, Sesshoumaru stated, "Kagome's apartment already has wards. Having you both there together means that you can adequately protect against both a demon and a _human_ threat."

"What? Naraku wouldn't use humans! He hates them too much!" Inuyasha insisted.

"Not necessarily."

"He didn't use them last time!"

"That does not mean that he will not _this_ time, particularly when his quarry cannot harm humans with her powers."

Inuyasha swallowed his retort. He hadn't really considered the possibility of humans being involved, since their attackers earlier had been entirely demons. Protecting the world from Naraku would have to come before his discomfiture with staying in the same apartment with the woman who was already making him crazy on a few different levels.

"Keh," huffed Inuyasha. "Fine."

"Excuse me," Kagome said icily, "but it's _my_ apartment and _me_ you're talking about. _I_ get a say in this more than either of you, and _I_ do not want him to stay with me. I can protect myself." _At what c—_ She shut the voice in her mind up.

"Against one or two humans I would give you a fighting chance," Sesshoumaru said, "but if there are more, you will be quite finished."

"I'm supposed to get training—"

"But you do not have that training now."

"I—"

"Precisely."

Kagome scowled. "Fine, but there will be _terms_ to this arrangement."

…

"Bye, Rin," Kohaku said with a shy smile as she got out of the car.

"Aren't you going to walk her to the door?" Sango asked. "I won't look, I promise." She winked at him. That _something_ had happened while she had been gone at dinner hadn't escaped her attention.

"Uh…"

"Oh, go on. I know you want to."

Mumbling embarrassedly, he got out of the car and caught up to Rin.

"So you decided to be a gentleman after all?" She laughed, poking him gently in the ribs.

He caught her hand and held it. "Something like that."

_He hasn't let go,_ Rin thought, glancing at their linked hands. Before she knew it, they had ascended the steps and were standing at her door. She felt Kohaku's hand slide out of her grip as he moved in to wrap his arms around her.

"I hope you had fun," she heard him mumble into her hair, as she returned his embrace.

"Of course I did," she said, pulling back to smile at him.

"Rin, I—"

"Shhh…" She put a finger to his lips. He looked down at her with slightly wide eyes.

_She can't be…!_ Kohaku thought frantically.

"My sister—" he began, voicing his thoughts.

Rin slid a hand up to the side of his face and into his hair, and he couldn't help but lean into it, eyes half lidded.

"She won't look," Rin leaned toward him, "Kohaku…" she whispered, her words fluttering across his lips.

He could feel her breath feather light and then her lips, luxurious and plush, pressing slowly, captivating him, pulling him closer with such intensity that the moment stretched forever and ever and ever inside those blissful seconds.

And then it was gone.

He found himself staring into the deep embers of Rin's gaze, her long dark lashes seeming to contain the flames. He brought his hand to her flushed cheek, stroking gently and letting his fingers trail into her dark brown locks as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"We'll do this again, right?" He asked softly.

"Yes," she answered breathily, before claiming his mouth in a swift but searing kiss. "I think we both need to go now, though."

"Yeah…" Kohaku squeezed her hand, then stole a kiss of his own. "Good night."

"Good night," she smiled, turning to open the door. "Don't let your sister give you too much trouble," she added with a wink as she started to step inside.

Kohaku cracked a grin. "I won't," he said. Rin smiled and gave a small wave as she pulled the door shut, watching him bounce down the steps, trying to contain his obvious giddiness. She chuckled.

"Something funny?" A cold voice asked.

Rin whipped around. "Kagura! Um, I—"

"_Who,"_ her timbre was like crushed ice, "was _that?_"

"A—a friend—from school—we—uh—" Rin edged her hand back toward the door handle.

Suddenly her wrist was caught in a frigid grip, and Kagura hissed into her face, "Tell me, do you kiss _all_ of your friends like that?"

_Shit. She saw us. Shitshitshitshitshit— _"No, I just—we were just—"

"Mouth-fucking," Kagura spat. "You want to screw him, don't you, you little whore." Power began to crackle where she held onto Rin's wrist.

"No! Nononono, I don't—" Tiny bolts of lightning lanced her wrist. "—please, Kagura, no—don't—I—mom—"

"Don't you _dare_ call me that, you little bitch!" The electricity intensified. Rin whimpered.

"I—I'm sorry—just don't—please no—"

"YOU'RE NOT MY DAUGHTER!" Kagura shrieked, and she let loose the storm.

Rin's first scream rattled the glass of the grandfather clock next to the door.

…

As Sango rounded the last corner before their house, she was bursting with questions for Kohaku. He'd remained largely silent most of the trip home, a goofy grin plastered across his face. She couldn't take any more.

"Well?" She finally asked.

"Well what?" Kohaku said, snapping out of the time loop in his head.

"How was it?" Sango almost squealed.

"You weren't supposed to look!" He rejoined, blushing furiously.

"I didn't! But I'm not stu—" She stopped suddenly as she pulled up to their house, round eyes taking in the sight of their front yard and window.

"What the hell?" Kohaku stepped out of the car, looking bewilderedly at the shattered glass littering the grass. Sango came to stand next to him.

"Wait here," she commanded.

He nodded, swallowing hard.

Sango moved swiftly to the door, wrenching it open and preparing to take out anyone who might be inside with a quick upper-cut.

The only thing that greeted her was the breeze coming through the smashed picture window. Picking her way through the shards, she spotted the red brick in the middle of the rug, a sheet of paper wrapped around it. Sango reached down and gingerly picked it up, pulling away the sheet of paper. She stared down at the note in horror.

"What does it say?" Kohaku asked, having followed once he realized there was no immediate danger.

Silently, Sango handed him the paper.

_Slay the Slayers._

* * *

><p>I hope you guys enjoyed that! It took me <em>months<em> to write this. I kept rewriting and rewriting and rewriting, particularly the romance and violent scenes. They were just never quite right. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, though I am definitely drained. Writing a convincing, personally violent scene is _much_ harder than I thought it would be, and I have a _lot_ of respect for people who do it well, especially with regularity! I'm still working on making those scenes better, but I think by the end I got a better idea of how to go about it. Depending on the intensity of the coming chapters, some may take longer than others to write, but I plan to keep hammering away at it. :)

Anyway, reviews would be much, much appreciated, since so much work went into this. As I said, I'm fairly happy with it, but I also wonder if I've been staring at it too long, so I'm sure there are things that could be better, and things that are actually better than I think. So let me know your thoughts. 3

-ebj


	6. Evasion

Hello lovely readers! An update (more or less) on schedule! Crazy, huh? Actually, this would have been up a week ago, except I had a giant project at work that ate me up for several weeks (seriously, I was at the office until 8:30 the night before it was due). But no matter. It's here now. :) I should note that I'm doing a bit of a stylistic experiment with one of the scenes with the way it's broken up and punctuated in an effort to give it a certain type of flow and scattered urgency. I won't spoil it now, but you'll know it when you see it, so let me know whether you think it worked well or not! Also, I'll make a more specific note at the end addressing that scene, so if you do end up missing it, it'll be clear which scene it was. On with the story!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Evasion<strong>

"What does it say?" Kohaku asked, having followed once he realized there was no immediate danger.

Silently, Sango handed him the paper.

_Slay the Slayers._

Kohaku's eyes grew round. "Someone knows about us…" he whispered.

Sango put an arm around him. "Yes, but that doesn't mean we're helpless," she glanced slightly down at him—he would be taller than she soon enough—and continued, "Having you inducted as soon as possible will help with that."

"What?" Kohaku drew abruptly away from her. "I can't! I'm not like you, I—I—"

"Kohaku, you don't have a choice. You were _born_ a Slayer, and now that someone is forcing our hand—"

"I can't! I can't fight! I don't _want_ to fight—"

Sango grabbed his shoulder and angrily turned him around. "Well sometimes you _have_ to fight, whether you want to or not! It's not just about your own safety, it's about _our_ safety!"

"But, you're good enough for both of us! I don't need—"

"Yes you do, Kohaku! Who's going to protect Rin now that you're together? She's just a regular girl! She has no training! What would happen to her if you were attacked while you were out together?" Sango finished in a rush, the words slipping out in an angry torrent.

Kohaku sagged. _Rin,_ he thought, _you don't know what this will cost me…_ "Alright, I'll do it," he sighed.

Sango blew her bangs off her face. "Good." She hugged him and he stiffened slightly in her arms. "What's right isn't always easy…"

"I know…" He pulled himself from her grasp, surveying the glass littering the living room floor. "So what are we going to do now?"

"Well, we can't stay here—it isn't safe. We'll go to a hotel for now…one down town that's really busy, preferably…"

"Won't that be expensive?"

Sango shrugged. "Can't really be helped. We've got enough saved up, so don't worry."

"Yeah…sure…"

…

Inuyasha and Kagome slipped secretively past the police officers and caution tape that were strung out around the restaurant.

"How in the hell do you plan on getting our cars out of here without them noticing?" Kagome demanded in a harsh whisper as they ducked behind a dumpster. "We should have just asked them!"

"I told you, I don't want to have anything to do with cops right now. We'll…distract them." He peeked over the top of the dumpster to make sure that the coast was clear. "Come on!" He grabbed her wrist and they ducked into the garage, quickly dropping behind the first car.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" She snapped, wrenching her wrist out of his grip.

"What, you think Sessh left us here? Don't tell me you can't feel him here, even with your charm on."

He had a point. "_That_ stuck-up prick is going to make a commotion for us?"

Inuyasha chuckled despite himself. "Pretty much. He'll be the _cop-tease_ if you will." He smirked at his pun.

Kagome groaned and smacked herself in the forehead. _Really? A joke like that now, of all times? _"I'm gonna tell him you said that."

"Oh really? Keh, I can just see it now, _you_ going up to Sesshoumaru and telling him he's _cop-tea—"_

BOOM!

Kagome jumped. "What the—"

"That's our signal! Come on!" Inuyasha grabbed her wrist again and they were off, dashing madly through the two-level garage, trying to find their respective cars. Technically they should have been looking already…

Fortunately, their cars were not only on the first floor, but right next to each other, their red and blue paint reflected where the sides faced one another. They dashed up to their cars, each fumbling for their keys.

"Follow me to my apartment!" Inuyasha shouted over his shoulder as he dove into his vehicle.

"What? Why?" Kagome demanded, pausing with her door open.

"I have some things I need to get! Let's go!" He slammed the door and zipped backward out of the parking space, Kagome quickly following suit.

As they careened out of the garage, they could see the cops running toward the opposite end of the restaurant, where a raging blaze had broken out.

_That's surprisingly inelegant,_ Kagome thought. But she was grateful, as no officers even spared them a glance as they rushed toward the fire.

As they cleared the block that the restaurant was on, they slowed to a more normal pace, and twenty five minutes later, they were pulling into a parking lot behind a twelve-story brick apartment building.

Inuyasha's senses twitched. Something wasn't quite right. As he got out of his car, hearing Kagome doing the same a few parking spaces down, his eyes traveled up to the sixth floor, where he could see a window slightly ajar. _Fuck._

"Kagome," He called, motioning to her over the tops of the cars between them.

"Yeah?" She came around the front bumper of an old taupe sedan. "What is it?" She asked, frowning at his agitated expression.

Inuyasha pointed up at the window. "I live on the sixth floor," he explained, "and you see that open window up there?"

"Yeah…" She wondered vaguely where he was going with this.

"I didn't leave it open this morning."

Kagome blew out a breath. "Fuck," she unconsciously echoed his earlier thought.

"I think whoever was there is gone now," said Inuyasha as he started forward. "But I can't be completely sure with my charm still on, so…"

"Yeah." They started down the pavement.

When they arrived at Inuyasha's back door, they saw that though the window had been forced, the lock on the door remained in tact. _Small favors_, thought Inuyasha. He instantly took that thought back as the door swung open.

The apartment was in shambles. The kitchen that they stepped into had pots strewn about, and a red smear on the gray formica countertop dripped over the edge to where a bloodied knife lay on the floor. The pair unconsciously drew a little closer together.

"…it looks like there was a fight…" Kagome mused, eyes dragging over the blood on the counter and noting a pan now rendered unusable with a crimson-stained dent.

"No shit…"

They stepped over a few jars of pasta that had been knocked to the ground, contents scattered across the linoleum floor. As they entered the dining room, they saw that the chairs had been knocked over, the window shades shredded, and—

Kagome gulped and grabbed Inuyasha's upper arm, resting her forehead on his shoulder. _No. Not these memories. Not now…_ She couldn't look at the grisly thing that was draped across the wooden dining room table. As the smell of charred flesh made its way to her nose, she shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut—

_They grabbed at her— the one whose breath stank of lightning and blood hot next to her ear as he whispered—_

Her breaths came hard. There was weight around her shoulders,

_And she struggled and kicked, but they held her fast._

He was saying something to her—

_Her mind was screaming at her to get away, to do _anything_ to get away— _

The pressure around her increased— She struggled.

_She felt the pulse within her, the crack tear her insides asunder, the golden blaze rise up within her—_

Her eyes snapped open, gold— unseeing. Something shook her.

_Fire built behind her skin…_

What caged it?

_She should have released— a scream, seared flesh, blackened bone. One still held her— One?_

Softness.

_What?_

A doorframe suddenly came into focus.

_But I'm—_

Wrapped in warm arms. White hair cascaded over a shoulder, softness pressed to her cheek.

_Oh._

Kagome realized that she still stood stiffly, arms pulled into her chest. Her shoulders sagged as she let them drop to her sides.

_That's right…we're at…his apartment…there was…a break-in…a fight…the…thing…on the table…_

She took a deep shuddering breath and wrapped her arms around the one holding her. She needed the contact.

A voice came next to her ear, "Are you alright?"

She let out the breath. "Yeah…I think so…"

He pulled back, but still held her shoulders. "Flashback?"

Kagome looked at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. "…Yeah, I suppose it was…I…are you alright?" She realized her charm must have prevented her from releasing her power. She looked up, but he didn't meet her gaze, his eyes fixed at some point on the wall over her shoulder.

"Yeah, you just…" He trailed off, then his eyes found hers. "Will you be okay to help me look through the rest of the apartment?" He asked seriously.

"I…I think so. Is there a way to…get rid of—" she gestured toward the table, still not looking at it.

Inuyasha grimaced. "Yeah, but you'd have to be the one to do it." His hands tightened on her shoulders.

Kagome took a deep breath, pulling Inuyasha close to her again in an effort to gain some small comfort against the task she knew she had to do. It wouldn't do to keep breaking down like this every time she saw a demon corpse that had been killed with spiritual power.

"How?" She asked softly, her nose practically in his hair.

"You'll have to cremate him," came the answer.

She sighed. She figured it would be something like that.

"It's a more controlled process though," he continued, remembering all the times he'd seen it done. "You should be able to do it without burning anything but the body. Ashes will be all that's left." He felt her breath feather through his hair again in another sigh, and he frowned slightly.

"Controlled, huh?" Inuyasha heard her mutter.

"I can help you with that if you want," he softly replied.

Kagome pulled her face out of his hair to look at him directly. "Please," she said, a hint of desperation in her voice even as he watched determination settle into her features.

He let his forehead drop to touch hers, closing his eyes and hoping she wouldn't spiral into another flashback when they cremated the demon. "Keh, of course."

She moved her forehead from his to fully embrace him, tucking her head on his shoulder. _I won't flashback,_ she silently resolved, as she felt him return her embrace tightly.

Kagome took a deep breath and disengaged herself, feeling Inuyasha's arms slide away from her waist.

"Ready?" He asked.

She nodded mutely and turned toward the dining room table.

Her eyes met the empty sockets of the charred corpse splayed across the table. She shook herself slightly, feeling bile rise in her throat. Inuyasha placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, and she grasped it briefly. She stepped forward; it was like dragging her foot through rip current, but once she took the first step, the rest seemed to follow automatically, until she found herself next to the humanoid shape. A bony wing skeleton stretched over the table, devoid of whatever covering it had once possessed. She shuddered again. Why had she needed to get so close?

Kagome sent a questioning glance over to Inuyasha, who gave her a determined smile as he closed his eyes and placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned back to the corpse and removed her charm, feeling Inuyasha's also now-released presence wash over her.

Instinctively, she held her hands out over the body, letting her eyes fall closed. She reached inside herself to call up that golden light, the destructive, but cleansing presence she needed. A sense of calm washed over her as golden fire welled up within, traveling down her arms. She felt Inuyasha's power rise behind her, sliding over and seemingly through her arms as it wound with her own power, reining it in and directing the flurry of flames that had sparked in the air between her hands and the body below. The flame grew larger.

Kagome felt Inuyasha's hands slide from her shoulders down her arms until his palms rested on the backs of her hands. She shivered a little at the contact, but her concentration remained on the fire expanding slowly downward under her hands. When the flames touched the corpse, she could feel it like it was an extension of her self. She recoiled internally, nearly breaking the contact, but Inuyasha's hands and firm presence at her back kept her from faltering.

Like he'd seen many priestesses do, Inuyasha turned Kagome's hands, bringing her palms together with a clap, and the flames spread outward in a line, running the length of the figure. He heard a word tumble from Kagome's lips, and though he knew it to be the right one, he didn't know how she would have known to say it. _Requiescat. Rest._

Flames overtook the body, though the two of them felt no heat. Inuyasha felt Kagome press back slightly into his chest at the sudden conflagration before she relaxed.

The fire was gone just as suddenly, and in its place, dark ashes were strewn on the table, which bore no mark of flame.

Inuyasha felt Kagome's hand tangle in his hair as she reached behind her self to pull him close to her back, and she sagged against him. He allowed his arms to fall around her waist and dropped his head forward slightly to rest on her shoulder. She leaned the side of her face into his.

_How did we get like this?_ He thought, annoyed that their contact was capable of distracting him from the matters at hand. _I have other things I need to worry about right now._ Like whose power signatures were currently lingering in the room.

"Kagome—"

"Inuyasha—"

They both smiled a little sheepishly, though neither could see the other's face.

"You first," he said quietly, nuzzling subconsciously against her face and hair.

Kagome sighed. _What are we doing? _She suppressed a tiny shiver, though she could feel a small tightness in her chest. They were just cremating a horribly burned, dead demon, dammit.

She took a deep breath. "Thanks," she said softly.

A small smile turned the corners of his lips up. "Any time." His breath ghosted lightly against her jaw and he realized just how close they were. …_What if—?_

"So what were you going to say?" Kagome asked abruptly, turning in his arms to face him.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I—Well, I'm guessing you've noticed power signatures around here?"

"Yes…" She shifted slightly, frowning and pulling away just a little so they could speak more comfortably.

"Well, I know who at least one of them is," He gestured at the table where the ashes were scattered. "I know the priestess who would have done this, though I don't know what she'd be doing here…"

Kagome turned back toward the ashes, pulling fully away from Inuyasha's touch. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Kikyo…it's also her blood that's on the kitchen counter." His mouth pulled into a tight frown. He hoped she was okay.

"How do you—oh, right, smell of course," she caught herself, remembering the type of demon Inuyasha was.

He nodded.

"But what would she be doing here, heading off demons?" Kagome asked.

"Your guess is as good as—" He stopped, feeling the blood drain from his face. A presence that _should_ have been there wasn't. "Tessaiga," he muttered under his breath, and turned and hurried off to his bedroom.

"Inuyasha, what—?" Kagome trotted after him, clueless as to what could have caused the horrified expression on his face.

She found him in his bedroom, top half obscured by the bed he was currently rooting around under.

"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuckety fuck!"

"Inuyasha, what's the matter?" Kagome asked, dropping to her knees beside him. But he paid her no attention. She put a hand on his back. "Inuyasha?"

He pulled himself out from under the bed. "It's gone!" He yelled, fury dancing in his eyes. And fear, Kagome noted.

"_What's_ gone?"

"Tessaiga!" He hissed. "The bastards took it!"

"Sorry," Kagome said, "but what's a Tessaiga?"

"My sword! Powerful, magical, dangerous, you know the drill! Godfuckingdammit all to fucking hell!" He jumped up and started pacing the room. "I _knew_ I should've kept it with me, I've got no way to seal it, but Sesshoumaru _insisted—_and now those fucking demons took it and who knows what the hell they'll do with it and—"

"Inuyasha!" She grabbed his arms, stepping in front of him to stop his agitated strides. He glared at her.

"Inuyasha," she tried again, "what if Kikyo took it with her instead? She's a priestess so she'd protect it, right?"

His brows knitted together as he considered her idea. "But the blood in the kitchen…"

"_But the demon in the dining room." _Kagome replied severely.

"There could have been more than one."

Kagome frowned. She hadn't thought about that. But still… "Kikyo's…body…isn't here though."

She had a point. Against demons, he knew Kikyo would fight to the death. And as far as he could tell, she hadn't died. At least he didn't think there was enough blood in the kitchen for that to have happened. A breath escaped his pursed lips.

"I'm calling Sessh to see what he thinks. Kikyo…likely won't be reachable for at least a little while." He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Kagome leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. In the quiet of the room, she could hear the ever so faint ringing on the other end of Inuyasha's call. After a few rings, a haughty, masculine voice answered.

…

Sesshoumaru was planning on going straight to bed. He had just pulled into his driveway after driving home from completing the undignified task of providing a distraction so that his younger brother and the priestess could sneak their cars out of the restaurant garage. His method hadn't been particularly elegant or original, but it was efficient and effective. He could live with that. He yawned expansively, covering his mouth, though no one was there to see, and reached across the seat to pick up his brief case.

An annoying electronic beeping cut through his motion. Heaving a mental sigh, he pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced down. Inuyasha. _What now?_ He pulled his briefcase toward him before hitting the 'answer' key.

"Yes?" He shouldered the case as he let himself out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

"Sessh—there's no good way to tell you this—" Sesshoumaru could hear the note of panic in his brother's voice, but he continued up the front steps to unlock the door. He said nothing in the space Inuyasha's voice left, letting him stew over whatever it was he needed to say.

"Tessaiga's gone."

Shesshoumaru paused with the key turned halfway in the lock.

"I see." He sat back on his heels.

"Yeah, someone—Naraku's guys, I'm sure, broke into my apartment. Thing is, they apparently fought Kik here too. There was a body, a demon. We cremated it. Kik's blood is all over my kitchen counter…"

"But you did not find Kikyo there?"

"No. Kagome thinks she might have taken the sword with her, but I don't know. They could have taken it and her too."

Sesshoumaru finished opening the door and stepped over the threshold, letting the door snick shut behind him. He turned the deadbolt before replying.

"The Order has told me nothing." He could almost see Inuyasha sag on the other end of the line.

"I hoped they might have said something to you…"

"Nothing. You will have to find a way to get a hold of Kikyo yourself and ask her."

"You can't call the head of the Order?" Now he sounded a little petulant.

"No. When I gave Tessaiga to you, it became your responsibility. You sort this out."

"Sesshoumaru—"

"I am going to bed." He hung up. _That ignorant, good-for-nothing, lazy fool! He probably didn't seal the sword before leaving it in his apartment, the imbecile!_ Shesshoumaru's lips thinned into a line. He stalked up the stairs.

As he rounded the corner at the top of the steps, a faint metallic tang met his nose. He stopped. _Rin._ She was distressed. Afraid, even. _Why?_ He passed the guest bedroom where he knew Kagura to be asleep with a frown. They hadn't shared a room in close to two years. He turned to Rin's door diagonally across the hall from the guest room. He tapped lightly.

No answer. He knew she wasn't asleep yet; he could hear the pattern of her breathing, deep with a slight shudder, not the slow even breaths of slumber. He cracked the door open.

"Rin?" His baritone voice lilted softly into the room.

She didn't stir.

She should know that it was impossible to fake sleeping to him. Which meant that she was ignoring him. His brow furrowed minutely.

"Rin," he tried again, sliding through the door and pulling it almost closed behind him.

Finally, she cracked an eye open. He could see in the filtered moonlight that her lashes were wet with tears, and he was beside her in an instant, perched on the edge of her bed.

She turned from her side to her back and gave him a wan smile. "Sessh," she acknowledged, her voice tight and worn.

"Tell me what is wrong."

His eyes were soft as he looked at her, but she felt like they were boring into her anyway, so she turned her gaze toward the ceiling. "It's nothing."

"Hn." Rin wasn't the type to cry for no reason.

She shifted uncomfortably, turning back toward the wall a little.

"Did your evening go awry?" He persisted.

_That's one way to put it,_ she thought bitterly. "No, dinner was great…" She trailed off, thinking. She should provide him with a few details. It might make him go away faster. "Sango was really nice, and Kohaku and I—" She blushed faintly at the memory, "—well, we're sort of 'together' now…" She stopped again.

Sesshoumaru waited expectantly. She still hadn't said what was wrong.

"I just—I just woke up from a nightmare, that's all…" She invented, caving to his silence. "Just a silly dream…" She pulled on the covers a little bit, silently requesting that Sesshoumaru leave her alone.

He rose, allowing her to tug the blankets up under her chin. He let his eyes rest for a moment on her form, turned away from him, her dark hair splayed across the pillow. He was sure that she knew he didn't believe her for a second, but she clearly didn't want to tell him the truth.

Abruptly, he turned on his heel and left the room silently in a swish of long silvery hair.

…

As Inuyasha drove along behind Kagome on their way to her apartment, _their apartment, for the time being,_ his brain reminded him, he pulled out his phone to call Kikyo in the hope that she had his sword.

It rang and rang and rang until finally going through to voicemail.

"Shit." He waited for the recording of Kikyo's voice to finish. "—Hey Kik, it's Inu, you probably know why I'm calling, so if you could—" His phone beeped at him. Frowning, he drew it away from his ear to look at the screen. Kikyo's name flashed across it. _Well I'll be damned._

"Hey, Kik, I was just leaving you a message."

"Yeah—Hey—Sorry about—uh—" She sounded out of breath. Or in pain.

"My sword, yeah—hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah—fine. Got Tessaiga by the—way. Sorry we didn't—call. Didn't have—OW! Fuck, Maera, watch what you're doing!—Sorry, getting stitched up here. Yeah, didn't—have time—to tell you."

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief. "Well that's good news at least. How'd you end up getting stabbed? You did a pretty good job of frying the one guy in the dining room."

He heard her bite back another gasp of pain and winced on her behalf.

She continued, "—Little fucker apparently called—backup—the minute—I showed up. So—two of them jumped me in—the kitchen. Only managed to avoid—one. Didn't really have time—to—" —another hiss—"—try to fry them. Just needed—to get out—of there."

He nodded, though of course she couldn't see it. "Got it—" he heard another curse from her "—Hey, don't you have any anesthetic over there?"

"Nah, this emergency—point is out—right now—I'll be letting the—Medical Secretary—know about this!"

Inuyasha smiled a bit. He could almost hear the explosive rant the poor secretary was sure to receive for not keeping the Emergency Medical Checkpoints up to date and supplied. "Heh, I'm sure you will. Any word on what's being done with Tessaiga?"

"Yeah—I've put a temporary—seal—on it for the moment—but—we need to figure out—how to—put a selective—seal on it—so that you're—the only one—who can touch it."

"Will that be hard?"

"Probably—not—we'll probably just need—some blood—or something—from you."

That sounded pretty minor. Blood ritual wasn't his favorite thing, but it wouldn't be the first time he'd participated. Like anything else, it had its appropriate place. "Sounds fine to me. And you can keep it safe until then?"

"Yep—just—in the future—don't leave—deadly—magical objects—lying around in your—house. You're lucky—the Order found out—about Naraku's plan—to take it."

"Keh. What I want to know is why _we_ didn't know. Sessh's network is pretty extensive…"

"We only knew—about an hour ago. They sent me—right away. I caught that demon—pulling Tessaiga—from—under the bed—good hiding place by—the way, real—original—" Kikyo finished sarcastically. "—Shit." She sucked in another pained breath.

"Keh, I was in a rush."

"Anyway—you're welcome."

"Uh, yeah, thanks," He said guiltily, "for watching my back and all that. Er, sorry you got stabbed." God, that sounded stupid, but he couldn't think of anything better. He heard her chuckle, then curse as the light laughter jarred her wound.

"Yeah, thanks—but—I should go—Maera's about—to kill me herself—here—if I don't get off the—phone so she can—finish stitching me—up."

"Alright, well, take care of yourself, Kik."

"You too—Inu. Catch you—later."

"Bye." He hung up just as he followed Kagome into a turn down an alleyway.

…

Kagome glanced over as Inuyasha pulled into a free parking space a few cars away. Suddenly, she was extremely nervous. _Parking lot. Apartment. Night. _She wrapped her arms around her self, attempting to steady her nerves. _Hands from nowhere. Phosphorescent eyes—_ She leaned back into the headrest. Deep breaths. Tried to convince herself to open the door._ A demonic presence—_ A tap on her window. Her head shot up, eyes wide and frightened._ Inuyasha. Of course, dummy._ Her breath escaped in a low hiss. Grabbing her purse, she opened the door, Inuyasha moving back out of the way.

"You alright?" He seemed to be saying that a lot this evening.

"Yeah." She slammed the car door shut, angry that her mind wasn't letting her escape the images that had been almost literally seared into her memory. She started up the pavement, Inuyasha trailing behind.

They made their way in silence, arriving at her second floor apartment a few minutes later. As they approached the door, she could tell something was off. _Not my place too._ The power of her barriers reached out to her, telling her that something was amiss. Someone had tried and failed to get in. She touched the door. _Three presences. All demons. All foes. None familiar._

"Do you feel that?" She asked Inuyasha quietly. She had felt him come up behind her.

"Yeah…"

"Recognize anyone?"

"Only one, but I can't place it." He gave a small involuntary shiver. _Well that's a blatant lie, you idiot._ Oh, he knew very well whose it was. He just wasn't going to tell Kagome. The story was too fucking embarrassing. Besides, she hadn't been able to breach Kagome's defenses, so what did it matter?

Kagome nodded. "Well, alright then." She unlocked the door and stepped over the threshold, feeling her barrier's warm welcome wash over her. She breathed a small sigh of relief. Finally, she felt safe.

As Inuyasha came through the door, a languid caress of power slid across his skin. He had forgotten Kagome's power could be like this. He gulped as the barrier's energy wound around him, through him, seeking out his own source of power. He stood, rooted to the spot, and when gold finally found red, a jolt of electricity shot through him, followed by a wave of sensual heat that immediately ignited his face a bright red.

"—yasha, is something the matter?"

"Um, bathroom—" he muttered, dashing toward the hallway leading away from the living room that looked promising.

"To the right!" Kagome called after him.

He veered right and stumbled through the door, slamming it behind him. He sat down on the edge of the bathtub, taking deep breaths, trying to take control of both his mortification and partial arousal. _Fuck._ He ran a hand up through his bangs, letting his forehead rest in his palm. _If going through that barrier is going to be like that every time—_ but maybe it just needed to register his power signature properly… He hoped so. He didn't think he could deal with that every time he had to walk through the door.

Taking a deep breath, he got up and flushed the toilet for sake of appearances, then turned on the faucet, splashing icy water over his face. He looked himself over in the mirror, eyes following the path of a water droplet as it slid the length of his nose. The color in his face had mostly returned to normal, so he quickly toweled off his face before ducking out the door.

He wandered back to the living room, but Kagome wasn't there.

"Kagome?"

"In here!" She called.

He found her in the kitchen, half obscured by the fridge door. She emerged with two brown bottles in hand, grabbed a magnetic opener off the fridge and popped a cap off.

"Beer?" She asked.

"Sure," He took the proffered bottle, taking a moment to glance at the label in surprise. _Stella._ Well, she certainly didn't scrimp, that was for sure. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a beer drinker," he said conversationally as she popped the second bottle open with practiced ease.

She shrugged. "What would you have pegged me for instead?"

"I dunno. Just not beer."

She took a swig. "Not those god-awful girly drinks, I hope?"

"Nah, I don't think I've ever seen you eat anything sweet, so that wouldn't make any sense."

"Yeah, I don't really have much of a sweet tooth…" She trailed off, not really sure what to say next.

There was only so long that the pretense of sipping their drinks could go on. The silence turned awkward.

_Shit, what do I say? It's my apartment, so it's my job to be entertaining. Not to mention we could both probably use a distraction…_ Her mind floated toward the demons they had fought, the ones she had killed, that evening. Forcefully, she yanked herself back.

"Hey, um, you like video games?" Well that was just great, now she looked like a giant nerd. _Well I _am_ in IT and Web Development. I'm allowed._ Frankly, she'd be surprised if there was anyone who worked at her company who _didn't_ qualify as some type of nerd or another.

Inuyasha's expression lit up. "Yeah, whatcha got?"

"Come on, I'll show you." She lead the way into the living room, where her games and DVDs were stacked haphazardly around the TV set. She probably should have gotten a shelf for them, but the boxes worked just fine…if she would only use them.

"Ummm…" said Inuyasha, eyeing the disorganized pile. DVDs were mixed in with games, and there appeared to be no rhyme or reason to the stacks at all.

"Heh, sorry," Kagome said, realizing that Inuyasha was eyeing her pile with skepticism. "What kind of game are you in the mood for? Racing? First person shooter? RPG? Third person fighter? Strategy? I have a bit of everything…"

"…I see that…Ummm…" _Probably something non-violent; we've had enough of that for one night, I think. What would break the tension…? Exertion, probably._ "…Do you have DDR?"

Kagome grinned. "I do. I haven't played in ages though. It's not as fun playing by your self. Hang on a minute." She walked back to the hallway Inuyasha had run down a little while earlier, where she opened the hall closet.

Inuyasha heard her rooting around for a minute before she returned, slightly flushed, with two DDR mats and began hooking up the controls. She paused, realizing they were both still in their nice clothes, though they weren't exactly clean.

"Um, we should probably change," she suggested, thinking about how sweaty and gross she generally got when playing the game.

"Oh, heh, yeah." He grabbed his bag from where he'd dropped it by the door when he'd gone dashing off to the bathroom and headed back that same direction.

Kagome went back to her room to pull on a pair of light-weight sweat pants and a neon green tank top. _I suppose this is one way to welcome someone into your apartment…get all sweaty together._ She paused. _…That sounded dirty, haha. Oh well…_ She twisted her hair into a quick ponytail, not even realizing that she hadn't mentally reprimanded herself for that moment of internal lewdness, and traipsed back to the living room.

Inuyasha was waiting for her, clad in a pair of low-slung red gym shorts and a body-hugging black crewneck t-shirt. She couldn't help her eyes skimming over his figure, and she stopped midstride to appreciate him. _It's that damn shirt._ She was too busy to notice his eyes on her own frame.

Their raking gazes met. They each sucked in a quick breath, thinking they'd been caught by the other, though the truth was that they'd both been too preoccupied to notice.

"Um…" She started.

Inuyasha smirked to hide his embarrassment. "I guess we're having an early Christmas, huh?"

Kagome frowned for a second, but caught on quickly enough. Of course. Their respective green and red attire. "Heh, yeah I suppose." She'd take any excuse she could get as to why she had been staring. And though she didn't know it, so would he.

Shaking herself mentally, she walked the last ten feet to the TV and turned it on. They began.

At first, they were both almost hilariously awful at it. They'd made the mistake of choosing difficult songs, remembering what they _used _to be able to execute, without considering that it had been at least a year since either had played. As the beer flowed though, their feet gradually remembered the pacing and rhythm of the steps. Soon they were competing fiercely. Eventually, Inuyasha's superior demon stamina meant that he started to pull ahead as Kagome's steps became irregular. When she lost spectacularly to Inuyasha in a round of the song, "Trigger," she flopped down to the floor off of her mat and laid back, staring at the ceiling.

"I think my legs are broken…" Kagome groaned, wiping sweat out of her eyes.

Inuyasha smirked and sat down next to her, letting the TV screen continue to display the congratulatory message declaring him the winner. "You're the first person to last that long against me, if it makes you feel any better."

"Pff, not really. My legs are still killing me." She rolled onto her side, propping herself on her elbow. "How long have we been playing anyway?"

He looked at the digital clock on the slightly beat up end-table next to the futon. Just after midnight. "About an hour and a half."

Kagome groaned again. "Good Lord…no wonder! I'm seriously going to regret this in the morning." She looked over at him sourly. "And I bet you won't even feel a thing with those demon abilities of yours."

He grinned and stretched. "Nope," he agreed happily.

"Twit," Kagome muttered, rolling onto her back again and letting her eyes fall closed.

Inuyasha just continued to grin at her. At some point during the last forty-eight hours, their banter had gone from downright acidic to what basically amounted to friendly joshing. He couldn't figure out why or how, but he wasn't going to complain; this was much better than dealing with the constant sniping and Kagome's incessant bitchiness. Not that his behavior had been stellar either. Well it didn't matter. At least having to share an apartment wouldn't be as awful if they weren't yelling at each other all the time…

Kagome's shift to more even breathing jerked him out of his thoughts. And he realized he'd been staring at her—_more like through her _—his mind argued—the entire time. Either way, he should probably wake her up.

He reached over and poked her in the shoulder. "Kagome," he said softly. She didn't stir. He shook her shoulder instead. "Kagome." A little louder, closer to her ear. How had she conked out this fast? He leaned even closer, sucking in a breath as he did.

"Oi! Wench!"

Kagome sat bolt upright, Inuyasha barely getting out of the way in time. "Who—What—?" She looked wildly around, sight finally setting on Inuyasha, who was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "Don't _do _that!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

"Well I tried being nice actually, but apparently you sleep like a dead rock."

Kagome chuckled in spite of herself. "A _dead_ rock? You mean like the dead? Or just a rock?"

"No, I mean a dead rock. Seriously. That's how out you were."

She shook her head and stretched. "Whatever." Getting to her feet she added with an exaggerated sniff in Inuyasha's direction, "You can have the shower first." She waltzed out of the living room, smirk firmly plastered across her face.

Inuyasha's mouth hung slightly ajar for a split second before he closed it with a snap and took an experimental whiff of his shirt. _Keh._ He returned to his bag, grabbed his shower supplies and pajamas, and went off to quickly dunk himself in the shower.

Kagome pulled some extra sheets, a blanket, and pillow from the hall closet and brought them out to her futon in the living room, where she dropped in them in a relatively neat heap. Then, she set about converting the futon out into a bed, unfurling and smoothing the bedclothes over it before tossing the pillow on top.

She heard the sound of a blow-dryer and giggled. _Inuyasha blow-dries his hair? That's kinda…_ She stopped for a moment. _Well, logical,_ her brain finished. _Duh._ She had less hair than he did, and she hated sleeping with it all wet. Frankly, she couldn't imagine having to deal with that much hair all the time, and she wondered how the hell he managed to keep it so neat. And come to think of it, his brother's was even longer… Maybe it was some sort of demon thing? Perhaps she could ask him when he—

Suddenly there was an audible sniffing noise next to her ear, and she felt the exhaled breath on her neck when he spoke, "Your turn, dirty girl."

She froze for a split second, then whipped around, less concerned with what he'd said than how he'd managed to sneak up on her.

"Inuyasha, _how_ did you—?" She paused, noticing the ears now flicking atop his head. _Oh._ He'd taken his charm off and she hadn't even noticed the shift in his aura. Granted, his shift wasn't a large one anyway, since his charm held in his powers lightly, but it was still certainly discernable. If she was paying attention, that is. Which she hadn't been.

He smirked. "Skillz," he said, the 'z' distinctly audible.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Right." She pushed past him, giving him a good poke in the ribs in retaliation as she moved by.

"Hey! You little—"

But she'd already made a break for the bathroom, and was slamming the door before he could come after her. She inhaled deeply, leaning against the door with a satisfied smirk on her face. _Serves the guy right,_ she thought. She could still hear him muttering to himself.

She turned the lock on the door handle, then proceeded to divest herself of her sweat-saturated garments, tossing them on the floor before turning the shower handle.

As the water cascaded over her, she worked her hair into a lather, loving the feeling of the sticky salt rinsing away. She massaged her scalp with her fingers, relaxing into the heat and pressure. _Man, it would be nice to have someone do this for me…_ An image of a very familiar hanyou flashed across her brain. _What?_ _Where the fuck did _that_ come from?_ She paused in her scrubbing. _Well, you certainly weren't complaining when you were all huggy-snuggly with him before…But that was_ different!_ I hardly even knew where I was or what was going on! The same thing would have happened with anyone else!...Really?...Yes, fucking really!_ She finished scrubbing herself down savagely, grumbling about "friends" and "colleagues."

She shut the water off and stepped out, flinging water onto the floor._ Dammit. How did I—?_ She looked down at the tub, where about an inch of water still hadn't drained away. _Well that's annoying._ She quickly toweled herself off and bent down to investigate the drain. She didn't see anything right away, so she unscrewed it, pulling it out to inspect. White hair was wound tightly around the metal.

"_Inuyasha!" _She muttered angrily. Seriously, that was disgusting. She dropped the drain piece back in the tub with a clang and jumped up, wrapping the towel around herself and stomping out the bathroom door to the living room.

"Inuyasha!" She snapped loudly, standing in the doorframe, one hand on her hip and the other holding her towel in place.

He looked up from the futon where he had been sitting playing with his phone. "Kagome, what—?"

His words came to a halt as he registered her state of undress. Her dark hair made even darker by the water that still dripped down her barely covered body. The way a lock of that hair clung in a slight curl to the top her breast and collarbone— _Shit._ He swallowed hard as he felt himself flush. He tried to look away, but couldn't seem to, so instead he riveted his gaze to her face, where her features were scrunched up in consternation.

She glared at him, annoyed enough not to register that he was staring at her. "_Apparently_, you _shed._ A _lot._"

He blinked at her. "What?"

"I suggest you go take a look at the drain in the shower."

_Crap._ Had he really forgotten to clean…?_ Apparently so._

She watched as comprehension dawned on his face and he rose from the futon.

"Right," he mumbled, hurrying past her, avoiding her eyes as best he could.

Kagome turned on her heel and marched to her room, slamming her door and dropping her towel to the floor. She scavenged around the mess of clothes and papers on the floor, searching for her pajamas. Finally she spotted telltale navy blue plaid underneath a sweatshirt.

As she was pulling a gray t-shirt over her head, a horrified expression crept across her face. _I just…_waltzed_ out there…sopping wet…in nothing but a towel. To yell at him for shedding in my shower._ She groaned inwardly, t-shirt halfway over her head. She yanked it the rest of the way down. _Well fuck._ She still had to go back out there to brush her teeth and make sure Inuyasha didn't need anything before they hit the hay. She would just act like she'd hadn't completely embarrassed herself and get on with getting ready for bed. _Right._

Inuyasha screwed the drain back in place, trying his best to focus on the motion and not the images of a very wet Kagome wrapped in a towel that kept cavorting through his brain._ Why did she have to come out looking like _that_? _He groused internally. It just wouldn't leave him alone._ She probably didn't even think about it…She was just peeved._ He stood and opened the door… and found himself face to face with Kagome.

"Um—"

"So—"

They looked away from each other. Kagome took a deep breath.

"'tmeantoembarrassyouand—" She stopped. What happened to pretending like nothing had happened? "Uh, did you clean my drain?" There. Much better.

He shifted. "Uh, yeah."

"Good." A pause.

"Um…"

"Thanks."

"Yeah…I'll uh, try not to forget again."

"Okay."

Really, this was ridiculous.

"I'm gonna, uh, go finish checking my email."

"Right. Well, um, let me know if you need anything."

"Yeah."

They stood a moment longer, avoiding each other's eyes, but somehow managing to catch the corners of glances anyway.

"Right."

"Okay."

They moved at the same time, trying to go around each other, but ending up almost knocking heads as they moved in the same direction.

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

Kagome shook her head. "This is dumb. Here—" She gently pushed him toward the doorway to the living room as she slid past him next to the wall.

Inuyasha tensed slightly at her unexpected touch. He hoped she didn't notice. He heard her shut the bathroom door behind him and he exhaled. _Well that wasn't awkward at _all. He made his way to the futon and pulled his phone out again, setting about deleting the mostly spam messages in his inbox. It wasn't all spam though, and he saw he had a message from Kaede. _What does that old bat want now?_ He opened the email.

_Hello Inuyasha,_

_I wanted to remind you that you and Kagome are supposed to attend a training session at 9 a.m. sharp tomorrow morning. I heard you had quite an eventful night, so I expect to hear yours and Kagome's takes on it when you arrive at the studio. We need all the information we can get. Hope you and Kagome are both all right. See you the morning._

_Kaede_

Inuyasha groaned. _That's right, it's "Kagome's personal punching bag" time tomorrow…Well that's just great._

"What's the matter?" Kagome's voice floated across the room over his thoughts.

He turned to glance at her. "We have training tomorrow at Fujiwara."

Kagome echoed Inuyasha's groan. "Ah, crap, I forgot about that," she said, palming her forehead.

"Yeah. 9 a.m. sharp."

"Well that's just great. I'm gonna regret that DDR even more now…ugh."

_That's right,_ he thought, _maybe this won't be quite so bad as I was expecting…_

"What are you smirking about?" she asked irrtatedly.

"Heh, nothin.'"

"_What?" _She insisted.

He relented. "Just that it's only fair since you get to beat up on me tomorrow."

She paused, a smirk of her own winding its way across her mouth. "Hm, you're right, I _do._ I guess you'll get the full brunt of my bad mood then…" She grinned wickedly. "I'll be really sore, and I'm _not_ a morning person…"

She pranced out of the room, leaving Inuyasha with his mouth hanging slightly ajar.

_That little—_

* * *

><p>Yayyyy, new chapter. :) This took a little longer than I wanted it to, but oh well. So, just to refer back to what I was saying at the beginning of the chapter about the section with the "weird punctuation" and stuff, the scene where that was applied was when Kagome was having her flashback episode at Inu's apartment. I'm really curious what you guys thought of how that was played outdescribed, so please let me know in the reviews if you feel so inclined. And I really do appreciate it when y'all take the time to review; it lets me know that you're reading and inspires me to keep on writing! So please please keep those comments coming; it means so much to me as a writer to hear what you all think!

- ebj


	7. Convergence

Hello, dear readers! I'm so sorry this has taken so long to get this chapter out. It was a beast to write, especially at first, though finally about halfway through it started writing itself. The last few days have been insane, nothing but going to work, coming home, and then sitting down to write for the rest of the evening. My room is a mess, but I'm not one to get in the way of my muse, heh, particularly as it has otherwise been so elusive recently. Also, I'd like to thank whoever nominated this story for Best AU/AR fic over at the Feudal Association. I'm really excited, as this is my first nomination in a writing category (others have been for artwork). Thank you so, so much! It really does mean a lot!

Some notes:

_Taur_ is a feminine ancient Egyptian name that means "the great" or "the first," and as such, the head of the Order is known as the _Taur Priestess, _or simply, the _Taur._

_Kartek_ is also a feminine ancient Egyptian name, meaning "spark holder."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Convergence<strong>

_Kagome raced silently down a long corridor. It wouldn't be long now. She instinctively checked the zippered side pocket of her pants for the flash drive. Good. It was still there. She slipped through a door to her left. The walls were green, run through with wires and circuitry. She swung right down a side path. It was getting hotter. The passage narrowed. Circuitry became more distinctive shapes. Shapes became creatures. Humanoid. She accidentally brushed against the wall._

_A sudden blast of electricity radiated outward from where she had touched the surface. Kagome stumbled backward, clutching her elbow against the burn. Shit. Her eyes widened as a low beeping sounded, far away, but getting louder. The circuits around her lit up, humanoid forms glowing and pulsing blue. Beep! _No._ Beep! Not humanoid. Beep! _Demons.

_BEEP! At that instant, the creatures seemed to peel themselves from the wall, the beeping reaching crescendo. BEEP! She suppressed a shout. Tried to run. BEEP! Found her way blocked by more blue-lit demon forms. BEEP! Their electricity crackled. BEEP!_

_Kagome drew a hardened rubber sword. BEEP! Nothing like an insulator to block electrical flow. BEEEEP! If she could just break their circuits— BEEP! She moved— She was a whirlwind— BEEP! Blocking, breaking the electrical flow as she fought her way down the passage— BEEP! But they lit up again behind her as their circuits reconnected— BEEP! And more formed in front of her— BEEP! BEEP! The sound invaded her being, broke her apart— BEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP! —she couldn't fight— BEEEEEP!— glowing appendages closed on her like devil's ivy— Light— All light— BEEEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEEEP! BEEEEEP! Too Loud— Too bright— Tried to shout—_

Her eyes flew open, and she sat up all at once, tearing the constricting sheets away. The sun was glaring in at her, and her alarm was blaring. Groaning, she smacked the snooze button before searching for the switch to turn it fully off.

"Bloody Hell‚" She muttered. She'd had the circuit board spy dream before, mostly back when she hacked networks for extra money, but the blue electrical demons were new. Of course her brain would creatively figure out how to shove two extremely uncomfortable subjects together into one disconcerting dream. Huffing, she dragged herself out of bed, wincing at her sore muscles as she glanced down at the clock, which now read 8:02 am. She grabbed her bathrobe to ward off the slight morning chill and shuffled out of her room to make a pot of coffee.

Inuyasha heard a door open and shut, followed by the scuffing sound of feet and the creaks of a few floorboards. That stupid alarm had woken him up a few minutes ago, what with its incessant beeping, which sounded quite like screeching to his sensitive ears. Still, he lay with an arm thrown across his face, not quite ready to give up the warmth of the blankets, though the enticing scent of coffee had started to waft to his nose. He'd slept just fine, which was odd, since usually the first night he stayed somewhere new, he barely got a wink. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt safe with Kagome's barrier in place, and the futon, while not the most comfortable bed in the world, was certainly serviceable.

"Hey, Inuyasha!" Came a disgruntled shout from the kitchen. He laid his ears back in response. He hated loud noises first thing in the morning.

"What?" He grumbled, just loud enough to carry.

"Get your lazy ass out of bed!"

'Keh," he mumbled. Nevertheless, he rolled over, swung his legs over the edge of the futon and pushed himself to a standing position. "Crazy wench…" he muttered, wandering off to the bathroom.

A minute or two later, Kagome heard the toilet flush and the sound of the bathroom sink being turned on. She poured two mugs of coffee as she waited for the toaster waffles to finish up.

She felt, rather than heard him enter the room, and she turned around, holding a mug out to him.

"I hope you like your coffee black, 'cause I don't have any cream."

"Black's fine. Cream gives it a gross texture," he replied, taking the proffered mug. "Thanks."

Kagome merely grunted in reply, turning to the fridge. "Want any yogurt?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Uhh, sure. What kind?"

"Blueberry, Strawberry, or Blackberry."

"Strawberry, I guess."

She grabbed it and a Blackberry yogurt for herself, along with a couple of apples, the only fruit currently in her fridge.

Inuyasha watched her putter around the kitchen, slightly confused. She was being rather short with him verbally, but she was still making breakfast for them both. He stood awkwardly next to the table, unsure whether to sit down or offer to help. He supposed he should just ask.

"Why are you doing this?" Well, that wasn't how he meant to say it at all.

"What?" She shot him a frown over her shoulder before returning to slicing apples.

"I mean—you don't have to be making breakfast. I could help or…"

"You're a guest." She put the apple slices on a plate.

"Yeah, but I'm going to be here a while. You can't do this every morning…"

Kagome turned and shrugged. "You've only spent one night. You're a guest." She set the apples on the table. "And sit down. You're in the way." She brushed past him to get to the toaster, where she removed the second pair of waffles.

"Well, sorry then. Jeesh," he muttered, pulling out a chair and plopping into it.

"I heard that."

"Yeah, yeah. If you're not gonna let me help…" He reached for an apple slice and popped it into his mouth, enjoying the juicy crunch.

Kagome ignored him. She wasn't a morning person to begin with, but she especially hated having to communicate with anyone before she had at least had coffee. Further, her kitchen wasn't particularly large, and Inuyasha's presence was pressing in on her.

She shook herself and set the waffles on the table before plopping into the chair across from Inuyasha. Sighing, she took a sip of her coffee.

"D'you have any syrup for these?" His voice grated against her ears.

"No."

"Oh."

A pause.

"Do you at least have butter?"

She sighed again. She was being a bad host. "Yeah, sorry. I usually just eat them plain..." She got up and grabbed the butter dish off the counter before rummaging around in a drawer for a knife. "Here," she said, laying them on the table.

She sat back down and picked up a waffle, noting that she probably shouldn't have left them in the toaster quite so long. She bit into it, the accompanying light crunch cracking the silence.

"You're not a morning person, are you?"

She gave him an incredulous look.

"I'll take that as a no."

"We can't all be little rays of sunshine," she said grumpily.

"Keh. Didn't say you had to be."

"Who are you, and what did you do with Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"You're being—" She paused. "Civil."

He rolled his eyes. "As you said earlier, I _am_ a guest. And contrary to popular belief, I'm _occasionally_ capable of decent manners."

She took another bite of waffle in response.

"Besides," he continued, "You did make breakfast."

"I suppose." She shook her head and made a mental note that if, in the future, she desired good behavior from the hanyou, she should add food to the equation.

Sounds of chewing settled over the table again, and Kagome did nothing to break the quiet. She preferred it this way, even with another person at the table. Any other time of day, she would have been perturbed by the lack of conversation, but right now, it gave her room to try to get her brain up to normal functioning speed. It was particularly difficult after a dream like the one she'd had; images of lighted circuit demons and thoughts of secret information swirled and eddied in her mind. Inuyasha seemed to finally accept that she didn't want conversation, and didn't try to say anything else.

He sat quietly, observing. He knew she was grouchy in the morning; he had seen her enough at work first thing to know that, but it seemed that something else was bothering on this particular morning, even beyond just the abnormality of his presence. Picking up on other people's emotions wasn't exactly his forte, but you couldn't live for over 200 years without acquiring at least some affinity for reading expressions and body language. He figured he would let her coffee kick in before he asked her about it.

"I had a fucking creepy dream last night."

Ah, the power of caffeine.

He smirked. So this was the problem. "Yeah?"

"I was a cyber spy."

"That sounds pretty awesome."

A frown pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Usually it is."

"So you've had this dream before?"

"More or less. This time though, instead of getting out of the network with the information like I usually do, there were these...circuit demons."

"Circuit...demons? What?"

Her scowl deepened. It sounded completely stupid when she said it out loud. She pressed on anyway. "Yeah, they were demons, you know, like the ones I...fried...but they were made out of glowing blue wires...they came out of the walls..."

A snort of laughter met her ears.

"Hey! It's not funny! They were practically strangling me!"

He reined in his chuckles. "Sorry, just..."

"Humph."

"Oh, come on..."

She refused to look at him, instead turning back to her yogurt.

"Kagome..."

No response.

The clinking of dishes when they loaded the dishwasher was a welcome respite from almost complete silence. After a minute, he decided to try again.

"I can drive us to Fujiwara."

The scowl was back. "I can drive."

"Do you remember how to get there?"

"...Kind of," she admitted.

"Then it'll be easier if we take my car." He glanced at the clock on the microwave. "Especially since we probably should have left 10 minutes ago."

Kagome's eyes snapped to the clock. It was a quarter to 9. Had they really dawdled that long over breakfast?

"Well, shit. Do I need anything besides normal gym clothes?"

"Nah."

"Good."

...

"'Morning, Kaede!" Miroku called as he opened the front door to Fujiwara Studios. As usual, he was the first to arrive; only his reflection in the line of mirrors on the back wall greeted him.

"Kaede?" He called again, making his way toward the hallway at the back left.

"Back in the weight room!" Came the reply.

He made his way down the hall and through a door to his right.

"What are you doing?" He asked curiously, noticing that she was bent over one of the weight machines with an open toolbox next to her.

"A few of the bolts on this machine were loose. Could you hand me that hex wrench on the floor over there?" She gestured behind her and slightly left.

"Sure." He bent to pick it up, handing it over.

"Thank you, dear."

"You're welcome...Do you need any help?" He wasn't going to tell her, but he didn't like that she dealt with fixing the heavy equipment so frequently. She was getting on in years, and he was afraid she was going to really hurt herself one of these days. However, she stubbornly insisted that she liked "tinkering with things," as she put it, so he had learned to keep his mouth shut.

"Nope, this is the last one."

"Okay, if you're sure..." He continued to hover.

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Is there something else you want?"

Miroku shifted his weight. "Not really."

"Then go on. Go start doing some stretches. This old lady can fend for herself," Kaede admonished good-naturedly.

"Oh, alright," he allowed, an amused smile playing at the corner of his mouth. He turned and left.

He heard the front door open, loud voices floating down the hall. Another voice he recognized as Kali's greeted the arrivals. He picked up his pace.

"Kali!" He greeted upon exiting the hallway into the front room.

"Good morning, Miroku," Kali returned, voice somewhat less enthusiastic than it had been before.

"And who do I have the pleasure of meeting this morning?" He smiled, gesturing toward the newcomers.

She smirked, "I'll be whipping these noobs into shape. They're freshmen at U Chicago. I let them introduce themselves."

The three newcomers looked at each other a bit apprehensively, working out who would be first. Miroku merely smiled genially as he waited. Finally, the girl with short, silvery sandy blonde hair spoke up.

"I'm Shiori," she said softly, proffering her hand.

Miroku shook it. "Pleasure."

"Karia," said the girl with the medium brown ponytail. She was tall, and Miroku actually had to look up at her as he shook her hand.

The lone boy stepped forward. He looked eerily like Karia, with the same medium brown hair and lanky build. "I'm Julian."

"...Are you guys—?" Miroku started to ask as he shook his hand, glancing at Karia.

"Siblings? Yep."

"Twins, actually," Karia added helpfully.

"Ah, I see."

"Well," began Kali, "Now that that's taken care of, I'll show you all around. Miroku, is Kaede done with that weight machine yet?"

"She should be. She was just finishing up when I got here."

"Good. Come on then," she said, beckoning to the group, and they followed her down the hallway.

A half smirk played at the corner of Miroku's lips as he wondered whether the newcomers knew what they were getting themselves into. Kali was fair when it came to training, but she would push her pupils to their absolute limits, and even beyond, when they thought they had no reserves left. At least, that was the impression he had gained the few times he had caught a glimpse of her teaching a class. He was glad that as a Spiritualist, he would never have to endure her idea of "a good workout." He pulled a mat from the stack in the far corner of the room, rolling it out on the floor, and sat down, folding his legs into the lotus position. He inhaled deeply, letting his eyes fall closed. A contented smile graced his features as he began to count his breaths, letting all other thoughts float away with his exhalations, allowing in peaceful emptiness as he inhaled.

_In... two... three... four... Out... two... three... four... In... two... three... four... Out... two... three... four... In... two... three... four... Out... two... three... four... In... two... three... fo— _

The door opened.

"—did you really have to cut that guy off? I know we're running late, but you could have gotten us killed!"

Miroku's posture stiffened.

"It's fine! He didn't even honk at us!" Inuyasha snapped back.

"Yeah, he was probably too concerned with hitting the breaks to honk!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Bullshit. And we're fine, we didn't get hit, so what does it even matter?"

Miroku tried to find his center again. _In... two—_

"It _matters_ because you're not the only one on the road! You can't go driving around recklessly like that! Someone will eventually get hurt!"

"Will you stop telling me how to drive? It's not like you—"

"Do you guys mind?" Interjected a quiet, but commanding voice from the corner of the room.

They both whipped around, startled. Miroku was glaring at them from the far corner of the room.

"Some of us are trying to meditate," he continued, "And Inuyasha, you should know better than to come in here arguing like that. You know Kaede won't tolerate it."

Inuyasha threw up his hands. "Jeez, why is everything _my_ fault this morning?"

Miroku frowned, trying to hang on to what little inner peace he still had left. "I was stating a fact. Will you let me meditate now, please?"

"Keh, whatever. Where's Kaede?"

"In the weight room."

Inuyasha shot a glare at Kagome. "C'mon then." He turned sharply and started down the hall, Kagome following, scowl etched into her features.

Miroku sighed and resumed his measured breathing, hoping he wouldn't be interrupted again any time soon. Saturdays were supposed to be reserved for private training and showing new people around. Technically, that was all that was going on, but Inuyasha and Kagome, being their usual antagonistic selves, were ruining the relative quiet he usually had on such mornings. Fortunately, he heard Kaede's admonishment float down the hall, which was followed by silence, and then voices too quiet for him to discern what they were saying. Soon, the only thing he heard was the low clanking of the weight machines, an almost Zen sound to his ears in light of the previous arguing.

Kagome let her breath go at the same time as she released the bar, letting the weights clang softly back into place. She was feeling a little off-kilter this morning, since even despite her sore muscles, she had been lifting much heavier weights than she usually was capable of. Kaede had smiled and told her that one of the perks of being a Spiritualist was an increase in physical strength in addition to stamina and faster healing capabilities. The healing ability in particular was nothing on the order of what demons had, whose wounds, unless spiritually inflicted, healed within minutes; rather, a wound that might take weeks to heal fully would instead only take several days. She had been both pleased and a little disconcerted to learn all of that, but it certainly explained why, when she had gotten up the morning after the attack, her body was completely free of bruises and scrapes she had acquired during the scuffle.

"Hey, you mind not spacing out and letting me have that machine?" Inuyasha's acerbic voice cut across her thoughts.

"I've got one more set still."

He rolled his eyes. "Well get on with it already."

"Hmph. You could have a little patience, you know."

"Keh. Some of us aren't slowpokes like you. Hurry up."

"Will you knock it off?" She pulled the bar down to her chest with a little more force than necessary. "You're acting like a 5-year-old."

"No, some of us just want to finish the boring part of the workout in a sensible amount of time," he snapped.

"Oh really?" Kagome asked icily.

"Yes, really," Inuyasha snarked, missing the sly undertone in Kagome's voice.

"Well alright then," she smirked, slowing the pace that she pulled down the bar to an utter crawl. It made the exercise harder, but it was worth it to see the expression on Inuyasha's face.

"You— Oh, okay! Who's the 5-year-old now?" He seethed.

"Hey, don't complain. I'm just playing your game." She allowed the bar to creep back up. She was really sweating now, but she didn't care.

"_My_ game?" He took a step toward her, as close as he could stand without getting beamed by the bar Kagome was painstakingly raising and lowering. "_This_ game takes _two_, sweetheart, and I don't make the rules by myself!"

Kagome paused, the bar held in front of her chest, as she glared around the wire at him. "Get out of my face."

"No." He moved closer, crowding her even further.

Her glare intensified. "Get. The fuck. Out. Of. My. Face. Now."

He grabbed the bar she was holding and pried it upward, knowing his far superior strength meant that there was nothing she could really do besides let go. Which she did. But he wasn't expecting what came next.

A fist connected hard with his jaw, and he stumbled back slightly, releasing the bar with a raucous CLANG! He stared at Kagome, hand to his jaw, utterly speechless.

"You _bastard!" _She shouted. "You do nothing but antagonize me _all morning_ and then you have the _nerve_ to yank the bar away from me? What, are you _trying_ to get me to take my charm off and send an energy blast at you? What the hell is your _problem?"_ She was breathing hard now. _I—I just hit him, _ she thought,_ what is wrong with me? I'm just so _angry—

Inuyasha just stared at her, still trying to catch up with the fact that his colleague had punched him. And it wasn't a laughable effort either. The woman had a mean right hook.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say?" She looked daggers at him.

_"I_ have something to say," came an angry female voice.

They both whipped around to look toward the door. Kali stood there, eyes flaming red despite her charm.

"You are _both_ completely out of line!" She hissed. "Miroku is trying to meditate in the front room, and Kaede and I are showing around new recruits. And here you are acting like the weight room is a schoolyard! If you two really need to duke it out _that_ badly, you can go to the sparring room! That's what it's there for." She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the door across the hall.

Inuyasha and Kagome just stood there, frozen.

"Go on! Get out of here!" She snapped.

They both seemed to shake themselves out of their stupor to move toward the door.

As they shoved past Kali, Inuyasha hissed under his breath, "Why do you have to be such a bitch, Kagome?" _And we seemed to finally be getting along yesterday— what the hell happened?_

"I don't know—why do you have to be such a dick, _Inuyasha?"_

"Don't forget to wear padding, guys! And shut the door!" Kali called after them. She was pissed, certainly, but she didn't need a broken hanyou and Spiritualist on her hands.

"Yeah, whatever!" Inuyasha snapped over his shoulder. He turned to see Kagome pulling on pads.

"I thought you wanted to duke it out properly," he sneered at her.

"Oh, I do. You should put on some pads too. I don't want to have to pull my punches."

"Is that so?" But he pulled on his sparring pads anyway.

Kagome walked to the center of the room, Inuyasha close behind.

"Charms or no charms?" Kagome asked, fingering the gold ankh around her neck.

Inuyasha considered for a moment. Charms would limit them both, but ultimately would skew the fight heavily in Inuyasha's favor. No charms would even the playing field a bit, and probably make things more interesting. And he was in the mood for a really good fight.

"No charms."

"Alright then." She unclasped hers and put it into the small zipper pocket of her pants, watching as the henna-like spiritual markings wound their way up her arms. She sensed Inuyasha's demon aura strengthen, and when she looked up, two white ears perched atop his head and his canines had lengthened into fangs. A touch of red had also crept into his eyes, making him look a little bit intimidating. She shook off the feeling and glowered steadily back at him, pushing away feeble internal protests.

Kagome didn't know it, but the edges of her eyes had taken on a similar quality, though instead of red, Inuyasha saw gold flecks dancing at the edges of her sclera. No matter. He'd win this anyway. He shot her a confident smirk.

"Ready?"

"Hell yeah."

They leapt forward.

...

"Sango, where are we going?" Kohaku asked as he trailed after her down the hotel hallway, heading toward the elevator.

Sango glanced around suspiciously for a moment before replying. "There's a...conference."

"So this is what all those secret phone calls were about last night," he deduced.

"Yes— but I don't want to discuss this out here."

"...Right." Kohaku muttered. He'd thought that by staying at the Hilton, one of the busiest and fanciest hotels in downtown, they would be more or less safe. Apparently Sango didn't think so. He could see that she had been constantly on edge since their arrival the night before, and it was making him nervous. He wouldn't tell her that, though. _She'd feel guilty, and then I'd feel guilty for making her feel guilty, and then she'd feel guilty for making me feel guilty for making her feel guilty and—_ He shook his head, halting that useless train of thought just as they arrived at the elevator.

Sango pushed the 'down' call button.

Kohaku leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, and stared absently up at the gold-trimmed ceiling.

"Kohaku— " Sango started, then stopped.

"Hmm?" He lowered his gaze to see Sango looking at him apprehensively. "What is it?" He asked, letting his arms fall to his sides.

"Just...you should know that—"

The elevator dinged. Sango cut off whatever she was going to say, a temperate expression sliding over her face.

"Well, never mind, it's not important. We should get going." She stepped into the elevator, Kohaku following closely, a frown pulling at his mouth.

He knew that change, that face. It was the one she used whenever she didn't want anyone to know what she was thinking. It was the one she used when she faced off against a demon, which Kohaku had only seen her do once outside of training. It was calm. Collected. Precise. Deadly. That face meant he wouldn't see his sister for a while. He would instead see the Demon Slayer.

The elevator dinged again, doors opening, and they stepped out to the fourth floor. Sango motioned Kohaku to follow, turning left, the direction of the conference room, according to the sign posted on the wall directly in front of the elevator.

It was eerily silent when they arrived at a rich brown door, significance only distinguished by a small, gold trimmed sign that read "Conference Room 4B" next to the frame. Sango didn't knock. In fact, she did nothing but stand there, and Kohaku was just about to open his mouth to ask what was going on when Sango's cell phone rang.

"Sango speaking."

"Passphrase?" Kohaku heard the voice on the other end inquire loudly.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Jarius, you know who we are."

"Protocol," he replied. "Passphrase, if you wouldn't mind."

If there was anything Sango disliked about the Slayers, it was the passphrase nonsense. A suspicious organization to begin with, half the time they didn't even trust their own members with certain information, hence the passphrase system. However, Sango was one of the few with top security clearance.

"Fine," she huffed. "I'd like to order an egg and cheese omelet. With salsa on the side," she muttered.

"Your brother's going to be in on all of this too?" he asked in surprise.

Sango sighed. "Yes, why else would I order salsa? And 'He's going to be in on all of this too,' isn't the correct reply phrase."

"Right, sorry. I can get that for you right away. Cash or credit?"

"Cash." Credit meant that she thought she might have been followed by a third party.

"Be here to pick it up in 20."

"Right. Bye." Sango pocketed her phone.

The door opened.

...

Kagome was breathing hard, focused intently on the hanyou as they circled each other. So far, all they had done was trade physical blows, allowing their lack of charms to give them greater strength and speed, but otherwise not making use of their more unusual abilities. She was sore and sure she was sporting a few bruises courtesy of Inuyasha, but she'd managed to land a few good hits on him herself. She wasn't entirely sure how, but she fought beyond the level she expected, as though someone else was guiding her body.

Suddenly, Inuyasha rushed her.

Kagome sidestepped quickly, but not quickly enough. He snagged her arm with a glancing blow, knocking her sideways. She whirled to face him just as his foot came at her in a flying kick. Reacting on instinct alone, she pulled out of the way, grabbed his ankle and used his momentum to fling him to the ground. She followed him down, landing an elbow in his chest. She heard the rush of air leave his lungs, but didn't have time to savor the small victory before she found herself flung sideways and pinned roughly on her stomach, right arm twisted painfully behind her back.

"You give?" he whispered, face hovering next to her ear.

"No," she spat. _Shit._ The arm that he wasn't holding behind her was pinned underneath her body, and between her own weight and the added weight of Inuyasha, it didn't look like she'd be able to move.

"Keh. Well you're certainly not going anywhere any time soon."

Kagome smirked suddenly. "Is that so?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened fractionally as he felt a swift surge of spiritual power. The next thing he knew, he was sprawled on his back, reeling from a blow to his sternum. Were it not for the pads he wore, he was certain the bone would have been fractured. He looked up to see Kagome standing over him, her forearms and hands glowing a soft gold, while her spiritual markings seemed to swirl and pulse. _When the hell did she learn to do _that?

"Seems you underestimated me, Inuyasha." She couldn't help the genuine grin that spread across her face. She had learned something new, and the only teacher was their fight.

"Tch." He saw her grin, sensing the shift in her mood. Curiosity piqued, he wondered if he could draw any new techniques out of her, while hopefully avoiding most of them. A devilish smirk crossed his face as he rose to his feet. He would push her to exhaustion.

…

Sango was met with Jarius' warm brown eyes as she and Kohaku stepped over the threshold. A smile danced at the edges of those same eyes as he shook her hand with mock solemnity.

"Sango," he greeted.

Sango couldn't help the small chuckle that burbled forth. The burly dark skinned man had always been able to find the cracks in her firm Slayer exterior to make her laugh. He was one of the few men who she would have been romantically interested in if she hadn't known he swung the other way.

She sobered. "How are you, Jarius?" she asked sincerely.

He sighed. "I've been better, as I'm sure you have also. Things have been..." He glanced at some of the other people in the room, all quietly talking amongst themselves for the moment. "Stressful," he finished, meeting her eyes again.

Sango had followed his gaze around the room. She took a small step toward him. "Jarius, where's Trent?"

All of trace of smiles left Jarius eyes immediately, replaced by anger and worry. "He's in hiding...recovering."

Sango's eyes widened fractionally. "What happened?"

Jarius' lips tightened. "That's one of the things being discussed at this conference today."

She nodded, knowing he wouldn't discuss his partner and lover any further. "I see." Then, "Will the Chief Commander be here any time soon?"

He shrugged. "He's still in a briefing with the four Lieutenant Commanders."

"Hmm." Sango frowned. "He's usually quite punctual. You're sure nothing's wrong?" Plenty was _wrong_, of course, but Jarius understood the question.

He tapped his headset. "No, he checked in about two minutes before you and Kohaku got here." He acknowledged the nervous boy with a smile.

Kohaku smiled tightly back. Despite the seeming calm quiet conversation in the room, he could feel the tension as people's eyes strayed from their discussions, distracted and worried.

As if on cue, Jarius' phone buzzed. "Chief?" He answered. Then, "Yessir, we'll have it for you in 20 minutes."

He hung up and approached the door, where he punched a ridiculously long numerical code on the pad by the door. Several clicks followed this action as locks opened.

The four Lieutenant Commanders walked in, followed closely by the Chief.

Everyone stopped talking immediately. Silently, they proceeded to their seats at the long table, the Chief nodding his acknowledgement as he passed to the head of the table.

When all were seated, the Chief looked around the table, holding each gaze for a second or two before moving on to the next individual. No one was left out.

"Bellum oportet ad pacem et ordinem,"* the Chief intoned solemnly.

"Enim in chaos nihil viget,"* they replied in quiet unison.

"And so we continue to strive." He gave a tight smile. "Let us begin. We have many things to discuss today, but I think we need to drive home the gravity of this situation first. Jarius, if you would share?" He gestured to the man a few seats down to his right.

Jarius swallowed and nodded, but his voice was steady when he spoke. The words sounded practiced. "Two nights ago, around 8 pm, I left the apartment I share with Trent to go to the grocery store. It was his kid sister's birthday yesterday, so he wanted to make her a cake, but we were out of eggs. I told him to get the rest of the ingredients together and wrap her present, and I'd go to the store to pick some up…"

_Jarius stood in line for the cashier, shuffling his feet impatiently. There really shouldn't have been so many people at this hour, but of course he'd managed to get unlucky. The single cashier was taking her sweet time too, apparently insisting on chatting with each customer. He breathed a sigh of relief when he was finally able to place the eggs on the conveyor belt._

"_And how are you this evening, sir?" She asked, batting her lashes a bit. She was pretty; he might have flirted if he wasn't in such a rush and actually straight._

_He merely grunted in reply as he swiped his credit card._

_She pursed her lips, but didn't say anything else as she tore the receipt off and handed it over. He gave her a quick nod and walked out as fast as possible._

_About the time that he'd picked up the eggs in the refrigerated section, a niggling sense of tension, of something wrong, had crept up his spine and taken up residence at the back of his neck like some sort of blood-sucking insect. And like a tick, he hadn't been able to shake it off. The farther he got from the store, the faster he walked, until he was jogging, then all out sprinting back to his apartment. _

_The second Jarius arrived at the building's front door, he knew something was amiss. The lock had been expertly picked, and he sensed the presence of three strange demons via the counter-charm embedded in his forearm. He nearly went dashing straight up the steps, but caught himself._

_He checked the catch on each of the knives hidden inside his jacket sleeves before pulling a black compact Glock from the hidden holster at his hip and fitting it with a silencer. He sprinted up the steps, silent as a ghost._

_Like the front door, the lock on his second floor apartment had also been picked. He could hear the sounds of muffled scuffling inside. Resisting the urge to simply barge in, gun blazing, he pulled the door open the slightest bit, careful not to let it creak, and peered inside. He was not entirely prepared for the scene that met his eyes._

_Not two feet from the door, a demon lay dead in a slowly expanding pool of blood, crimson staining their creamy carpet. Beyond him, he could see his lover, partially hidden by the sofa, held down by one demon while another was just slicing into his forearm. The demons had their backs to Jarius, but Trent's pained eyes found him, and Jarius brought a finger to his lips. Trent looked away, tried not to cry out as blood ran freely down his arm._

_Jarius pushed the door open just slightly more, taking careful aim at the demon cutting into Trent's forearm. He squeezed the trigger._

_The demon snapped backward, shoved by the momentum of the bullet ramming into his skull. His companion's head whipped up and reached for the dropped knife, but Trent grabbed him, yanking him back to the floor in a scuffling match._

_Jarius swept into the room, put three more bullets into the demon he had pasted to the floor just to be safe, and then undid the catch for the knife in his left sleeve. And not a moment too soon._

_Trent was severely weakened, and the demon had just shaken him off and sent him reeling with a vicious kick to the chest. He snatched the knife from the floor._

_The demon dove towards Trent's unmoving, bloodied form, intent on retrieving the counter-charm in his arm, and Jarius dove for the demon._

_The demon was faster than Jarius gave him credit for, and he shimmied out of the way, just avoiding the flashing metal of Jarius' blade. Putting the sofa between them, the demon pulled a silver ring off his finger, pocketing it quickly. Where before Jarius only saw a ghostly outline of the demon's true form, now the demon stood before him in full, arms blue scaled and fingertips clawed. Silvery eyes burned menacingly in their sockets, and a scaled tail lashed back and forth behind him._

"_Let's go, human. The orders were only for one counter-charm, but I'm sure the boss wouldn't object to two."_

_Jarius just smiled, though half of his mind was with the man lying on the floor, barely breathing. "You've done me a favor and gotten away from my partner." He drew his gun once more and pulled the trigger, all in one smooth motion, but the demon was too fast without his charm._

_Jarius barely managed to get his knife and gun up to meet the other's claws before he was knocked backward into the lazy boy chair. The demon pressed forward, engaging both arms, trying out out-master the human in strength. He would have, but Jarius gave just a little bit before shoving as hard as he could back at the demon with his right arm and pulling the lever on the chair with his left. The foot-rest caught the demon hard under the chin, knocking him back. Jarius took the slim opening and pulled the trigger on his Glock._

_The bullet found home in a spray of blood in the demon's chest, and as Jarius sat fully up, he put two more the collapsing demon's head. He leapt out of the chair and drew his knife across its throat— he could never be too sure, and knew from experience that the reptilian demons could be particularly hard to kill, despite the specialized bullets the Slayers used._

_Covered in demon blood, but fortunately none of his own, he rushed to Trent's side._

"_Trent!" He called loudly, feeling the man's neck for a pulse. It was there but weak. His breath came shallow and fast. Jarius noted clinically that he'd sustained several wounds in addition to the one in his arm, a long shallow gash across his chest and another, deeper one across the top of his thigh. Bruises littered his face and neck; his nose was probably broken, and his lip split and bleeding. His sandy brown hair was matted with blood just above his left ear._

"_Trent!" He shouted again._

_The man groaned in response._

"_Trent, everything's gonna be okay, you hear me? I'm calling Emergency Medical right now." He flipped open his phone and pressed the speed-dial number. "I'm gonna get some first aid supplies from the bathroom. You just hold on." He jumped up and made a beeline for the bathroom closet, phone to his ear._

"…he's in recovery now, at an undisclosed location," Jarius finished. He was staring at his hands. Telling everyone what had happened had clearly cost him.

Silence reigned for a moment before the Chief spoke.

There was sympathy in his eyes, but his voice was all business. "So, not only was one of our group viciously attacked, they also attempted to take his counter-charm. This shows planning. In combination with the rash of fires on demon-owned businesses, we are positive that an organized force is working against us. Sango here," he gestured down the table, "informed us last night via telephone of the attempt at intimidation that took place at her home. She has also said that she may have some useful individuals for us to work with. If you could tell us about them, Sango?"

She nodded sharply. "A colleague of mine is a half-demon, whose brother, I discovered, after some digging, is none other than Sesshoumaru Taisho, the liason between the Youkai Courts and the human government. As such, he sees and knows just about everything that goes on politically and judicially in both communities. Both he and his brother are the sons of the Inu-no-Taisho." She paused for effect, glancing around the room. "Yes, _the_ Inu-no-Taisho. The younger son, the half-demon, had somehow escaped our notice of that fact, but he is also the son of Izayoi, the powerful priestess who helped de-throne Naraku 200 years ago. I have reason to believe that both he and his brother would be quite helpful to us, as would another colleague of mine, Kagome Higurashi. She is newly a priestess, as powerful as I have ever seen, and appears to have a target painted on her back. As far as I know, the Order has not contacted her yet. Lastly," she directed her speech at the Chief, "I think it would be wise to contact all of these individuals, as well as the Order, and bring them here to pool our information. We may yet be able to obtain a clearer picture of what's happening."

The Chief glanced at the four Lieutenants before nodding slowly. "Masumi," he said, addressing the tiny black-haired Lieutenant to his left. "Do we have a secure phone line yet?"

She nodded. "Joren said his team was able to secure the offices and run the appropriate software. We should be good to go for the line in this conference room."

"Excellent." He pushed the conference call device across the table toward Sango. "If you would do the honors."

She nodded assent and dialed Inuyasha's cell phone.

…

Inuyasha had hold of Kagome's closed fists, preventing her from executing the latest move she'd stumbled upon: a blazing ball of energy shot from the palm of her hand at about the speed of a cross-bow bolt. He'd been almost unable to avoid the missiles, and had finally given up and charged, hands blazing red with his own power. Hence, their current predicament.

Instead of trying to physically break his grip, Kagome had been attempting to out-power him with her energies and throw him off that way. But every time she let her energy surge forth, his directly countered it, and the red and gold swirling around their locked arms grew.

At some point, it had become impossible to simply let go.

They glared at each other across the glow, their sclera red and gold, respectively, though their irises still showed, an indication that they were in control of their energies.

Frustrated, Kagome concentrated, shoving more of her spiritual power into the glowing, undulating mass of their locked grip. Immediately, she felt Inuyasha's rise. Something tipped.

With a roar, red and gold burst upward from their joined hands, slamming into the ceiling. They were flung hard into the ground with a collective yelp. Bits of ceiling tile rained down on their prone forms.

Kagome blinked from her position on her side. _What in the hell…?_ One minute, their energies were swirling between them, the next, she lay on the floor, covered in tile and copious amounts of white dust.

She heard a groan next to her.

"Inuyasha?" She asked cautiously, rolling over to look at him.

He blinked stupidly at her for a moment, white covering his face.

"What the hell was that?" She queried.

He pushed himself to a sitting position before responding, and she followed suit.

He frowned. "It was…some sort of combined attack. Normally demon and spiritual energies wouldn't…but we're a unique case, so…" He trailed off, brushing bits of tile off his sleeves.

"Apparently," she giggled.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at her as her giggles turned into outright peals of laughter. It was a relief after their fight and being so angry, still for reasons she couldn't entirely figure out.

She took a deep breath. "Well—I mean, look at us," she gestured to the bits of dust and tile covering them. "This is pretty ridiculous."

The corner of his mouth inched up. "I suppose it is. You know, I'm surprised no one's come running yet." He glanced up, taking in the one-foot hole in the ceiling, the cracks that radiated three feet outward in any given direction, and the accompanying scorch mark. His mind was going about a mile a minute.

Kagome followed his gaze. "Kaede's not going to be terribly pleased, is she?"

He jerked out of his thoughts. "Probably not. It's just a good thing this room is magically reinforced, or we'd be staring at the sky right now."

Kagome snorted. "More likely we'd be buried under a pile of rubble. Wouldn't _that_ be fun."

"No kidding."

She sighed. "We should probably go tell her…" She stood up, beginning the process of brushing herself off.

Inuyasha stood as well, brushing harshly at his sleeves and pants. Kagome finished as best she could with her clothing, and then began the arduous process of picking bits of tile out of her hair. She was concentrating on a particularly stubborn piece that managed to thoroughly snarl itself in her tresses when suddenly, Inuyasha was in front of her, his warm hands over hers.

"Let me," he said quietly.

Slowly, she dropped her hands, standing stock still as he worked the tile out of the tangle of hair. She hardly dared to breathe. _What is wrong with me?_ She thought for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. _First, I can't stop sniping with him, and now I'm all—I don't even know—_

"Almost got it."

She licked her suddenly dry lips.

"There. Little bastard." He flicked the offending piece of tile away.

She looked up slightly, meeting his eyes. He was surprisingly close. "…Thanks," she said a little thickly.

"Sure." He peered at her.

"Um—" Her eyes traveled up to his pointed, furry ears, which were coated in a thick layer of white dust and tiny fragments of tile. Without thinking, she reached up. "You've got—bits—"

He tensed slightly in surprise as she brushed at his ears. Her touch was gentle though, and he relaxed right away. It wasn't something he'd normally allow, but he'd been the one to intrude on her personal space first. After a minute, he realized three things. First, her motions had turned from brushing to stroking, second, his eyes were closed, and third, stopping her was entirely unappealing. He sighed in appreciation.

Kagome blinked in surprise as she felt Inuyasha lean into her hands. Further emboldened, she began to massage his ears in slow circles, luxuriating in the softness of the fur and skin under her fingers. _I can't believe I'm—and he's letting me—no, not even just letting me—_

She heard a soft groan escape him as she rubbed at the base of his ears, fingers occasionally skimming his hair and scalp. She sucked in a sharp breath at the sound.

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open, warm gold catching Kagome's gaze. Her hands stilled on his ears before sliding down to rest in his hair, one finger just touching the base of each ear. She felt their breath mingle in the small airspace between them.

He raised his hand, brushing a dark strand of hair behind her ear, following the curve of its shell before letting his fingertips trace gently down her neck. He swallowed._ What am I—this is—_

"Kagome," he breathed, the name escaping his parted lips almost of its own accord.

The depth of his eyes was almost hypnotic, and the sound of her name, the puff of air from that spoken word landing lightly on her lips, elicited a delayed, "…Yes?"

He said nothing, instead sliding his hand from her neck into her dark, wavy hair.

She shivered.

Even sweaty and covered in dust and bits of tile, Inuyasha thought she was beautiful. It seemed to him that they were like magnets whose poles were constantly shifting; one moment they utterly repelled each other, in the next were hopelessly drawn together._ Not really drawn together yet, but if I—_ his head tilted slightly —_if we—_ he could feel her stuttering breath on his lips— _should we—_

"Inuyasha!" The door opened with a bang.

They froze.

"Inuyasha, Sango's on the phone and she wants to— oh— uh, did I interrupt—" Miroku surveyed the whole scene, "—how did you manage— what in the world happened?" He stepped over the threshold, looking from the pair covered in particulate matter to the hole in the ceiling to the broken tile scattered on the floor.

They realized at the same time that they hadn't strayed from their somewhat compromised position, and they abruptly removed their hands from each other, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"Uh, well—" Kagome faltered.

"It's kind of a long story…" added Inuyasha.

"We're not entirely sure how we managed it—"

"It was some kind of combined thing—"

"Yeah."

They stared sheepishly at Miroku, who was regarding them with a curious expression.

"You know, Kaede's going to—" Miroku started.

"I'm going to what?" Kaede's voice floated behind Miroku, and she summarily appeared in the doorway along with Kali.

They stopped and stared.

"But," said Kaede, "this room has been reinforced. _How_ _on earth_ did you two manage…this?"

Inuyasha sighed. "We combined our powers…accidentally."

"This is some accident," she admonished, but her scowl was itching to turn into a smile. "You said you managed to _combine_ your powers? Now that _is_ interesting." She walked over to examine the hole and scorch mark in the ceiling. "We'd have to find a better location than this to practice, of course," she muttered.

"You're not…mad…at us, Kaede? And…how did you not hear it anyway?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"We were all outside seeing off the new students," Kaede replied, answering the second question first. "And of course I'm peeved. But your discovery is much more important than a little mess. Besides, you two will clean it up and patch it for me." She started toward the door. "I'll find you some brooms."

"Miroku! Miroku!" A tiny voice was coming from somewhere. They looked around. Miroku looked at his hand, still holding Inuyasha's cell phone. "Miroku!" It was Sango on the other end of the line. He put the phone to his ear.

"Heh, sorry Sango. We have a bit of a, ah, situation here…" He paused. "No, no, nothing like that—yes, of course. Here he is." Miroku handed the phone to Inuyasha, who took it with a frown.

"Hey Sango, what's up?" A look of confusion crossed his face. "Now?— Uh, I suppose. Who all should come along?" He looked around the room. "Are you serious?— Yeah, I'll bring everyone here— I dunno, 25 minutes maybe?— Sure— Yeah, we'll head out as soon as we get cleaned up— What? Oh, don't worry about it, just an, er…accident of sorts— Yeah, minor enough— Okay, see you soon— Bye." He flipped the phone closed, a dark look twisting his features.

Everyone looked at him expectantly.

"We have a conference to go to. All of us. This Naraku business has just gotten more complicated."

Kagome blanched slightly. "How— how does Sango know about Naraku?"

"She's a Demon Slayer."

"…Oh."

"Anyway, we should hit the showers as quickly as possible. I want to be out of here in ten minutes. We'll all take my car. There's just enough room." He started toward the door.

"You better drive in a more sane fashion this time around..." Kagome muttered as she followed him out.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Keh."

"Showers and dressing rooms are this way," Kaede said, directing Kagome toward another door down the hallway.

"Thanks," Kagome replied, then turned to Kali. "You wouldn't happen to have any spare clothes I could borrow, would you? Mine are kind of…uh, yeah." She gestured to her sweat-sodden and dust covered attire.

"Sure, I'll go grab you something from upstairs. Go ahead and jump in the shower. I'll set them out for you."

Kagome smiled at her. "Thanks."

"Sure thing."

…

Fifteen minutes after Sango's last phone-call, Jarius was letting Sesshoumaru and the Chief Youkai Justice into the conference room, followed closely by a small group from the Order that included the Taur Priestess herself. Chairs were brought out, and everyone shuffled around to make room for the new arrivals.

Sango was just starting to wonder where Inuyasha and his group were when her cell phone rang. She looked to the Chief for permission to answer it. He nodded at her.

"Hey, Inuyasha. You here?— Okay good. Go ahead and use the valet parking. The Slayers will pay for it— yes. And then go to the front desk and tell them you'd like directions to conference room 4B, and ask them to bring up a plate of sandwiches— why? Don't worry about it, it's just procedure— what do you mean, can we actually—I suppose it is about noon, isn't it. I'll talk to the Chief— yeah okay. See you soon." She hung up.

The Chief looked at her questioningly.

"Inuyasha wants to know if we can actually order some sandwiches or something," she managed to say with a straight face.

The corner of his mouth quirked up. "It is about that time as you said, isn't it? And we will be here for a while… I'll give our team down at the desk a call and see if they can do something about that for us."

There was a general murmur of relief around the table. It seemed everyone was on the same page, but no one had wanted to speak up.

…

Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Kali, and Kaede stepped out of the elevator onto the fourth floor, following the sign pointing the way to conference room 4B. The group was silent as they made their way down the hall, still feeling the gravity of what Inuyasha had relayed to them on the ride over. They stopped outside the conference room door, and Inuyasha was just reaching up to knock when his phone rang. It was Sango again.

"Hey Sango, we're—"

"Actually, this is Jarius," a deep voice corrected.

Inuyasha jumped slightly. "Oh, uhh—"

"Passphrase?"

"Um…we'd like to order some sandwiches?" He said tentatively, reusing the phrase Sango had told him earlier.

"Eh, close enough."

Inuyasha heard a click. Frowning, he snapped his phone shut just as the door opened.

The group proceeded through the doorway, ushered in by a tall, burly man, whom Inuyasha assumed was the one he'd spoken on the phone with. The earlier shuffle of people and chairs repeated itself, and soon they were all comfortably, if a bit closely, seated. Inuyasha nodded at Sesshoumaru and a demon he hadn't met but knew to be the Chief Youkai Justice, and smiled in mild surprise at Kikyo and two other priestesses he didn't know, one of whom was clearly the Taur Priestess. He blew out a breath. So this really was serious.

The Chief Commander cleared his throat and looked around at everyone. "I am glad you all could make it. Before we start, let me remind you all that what is said here today does not go beyond this room without my, the Taur Priestess', or the Chief Justice's explicit approval. You all are here because you have been deemed trustworthy and useful. Do not disappoint."

There was a wave of nods and a general murmur of assent.

Over the next 20 minutes, the Chief Commander outlined both Jarius' and Sango's stories, stopping occasionally as questions arose. As the discussion was winding down, the conference call device in the center of the table beeped, signaling an incoming call.

Sango looked in surprise at the Chief. She didn't know anyone had the number to their line.

A frown creased the Chief's brow. "That would be our informant. But I said not to call unless an emergency came up…"

Everyone looked at each other apprehensively. The Chief sighed and pushed a large green button.

"What have you got for us, Kartek?" He queried.

"Am I speaking to just you, or are there others present?" Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha both stiffened as the extremely familiar female voice came over the speaker.

"A whole group of us. But you may speak freely," the Chief replied.

Sesshoumaru's lips tightened. _That is most certainly not someone named Kartek,_ he thought to himself. _It appears I will be having a word with my wife when I get home tonight. _ He glanced at Inuyasha to see if he had betrayed anything about his knowledge of who was on the other end of the line. The only sign was the slightly shocked expression in his eyes.

"You told me not to call unless there was an emergency. Well, we've got one. The elderly Demon Slayer, Mr. Corey, the one who insisted on keeping his counter-charm, was found dead this morning by his neighbor. I wasn't even aware that there was a plot around him, or I would have informed you so that we could prevent this. He's likely been dead for a few days, but his reclusive nature meant that we didn't know. We should have kept closer tabs on him. Not only did they kill him, but there was a cut in his forearm—they took his counter-charm."

The room was instantly in an uproar as everyone tried to ask questions at once. Finally, over the din, the Chief shouted, "Silence!" and the room quieted.

"Well, now we have an explanation for how Naraku was able to target those demon-owned businesses," the Chief said. "We need to get that counter-charm back. And make sure he can't get his hands on any others."

"Word is a group of thugs calling themselves the 'Novus Lux Army' has it," the voice from the receiver put in. "They've been bragging about it. I didn't take the talk seriously until Mr. Corey was discovered."

"I see…" the Chief mused.

"Should we try to take it from them?" asked Sango.

"It's probably a trap," the informant advised.

"Probably," the Chief agreed. "But all the same, we can't afford to let this go. We need a plan."

* * *

><p>*The phrase that the Slayers opened their meeting with is in Latin, and means, "War must lead to peace and order, for in chaos nothing thrives." I used Google translate though, so if one of you happens to be fluent in Latin, and it's somewhat off, I'm sorry. You can correct me and I'll fix it.<p>

Also, a shout-out to AM78: Thank you so much for the help with the details on the gun stuff! If I got anything wrong, please let me know so I can fix it. :)

Anyway, until next time, wonderful readers.

-ebj


	8. Snares

**A/N: Oh man, this chapter was ridiculous to write. I'm sorry this took so freaking long. I hope the wait is worth it for you guys though. **

**Also, a big thank you to AM78 for help with all of the gun knowledge. Let me know if there's anything that needs fixing with regard to that please. :)**

**On with the story.**

**Chapter 8: Snares**

* * *

><p>Smoke wound through the air of the bar, snake-like tendrils slithering toward the ceiling to be lost in a grayish haze. Below, beer slopped over glasses as their owners gestured, posturing, on the edge of a fight. Yellowish lights cast a sickly glow around the room, washing over densely graffitied tabletops and outlining a tip jar on the corner of the bar, the tattered label indicating that the funds paid the smoking ban fine to the city. The edges of the establishment remained in an odd half-light, patrons at the tables either in dim relief or dark silhouette.<p>

Two such silhouettes in a far corner leaned toward each other, deep in conversation. One, bulky with a navy puffer coat he wore despite the heat of the crowded bar, sat back suddenly, a look of consternation crossing his shadowed face.

"Hiten, I don't like it. If we stayed together, we'd have enough power waiting down at the steel scrap yard to take on their entire group without getting anyone besides Oshou involved."

The shadow addressed as Hiten sighed. "Manten, you won't be alone for long. You just have to make it under the Skyway, and our wing-group will be there to meet you. Our...adversaries don't know which of us has it."

Manten scowled. "If you're so confident, maybe you should be the one to meet up with the wing-group."

"And let you try to coordinate with Oshou down at the scrap yard? I don't think so."

"Just because Oshou and I don't get along personally doesn't mean we can't handle this."

"I'm not taking my chances. The Big Boss hasn't exactly been all that pleased lately, if you hadn't noticed. This is the least risky option, and you know it. Besides, you've got one of those specialized new 'toys.' That's like walking around with a whole 'nother demon strapped to your hip and then some."

"Fine," Manten acquiesced. "I still don't understand why we can't just go underground for a few days."

Hiten rolled his eyes. "Do I really need to explain this again? Oshou's got a bunch of those "demon rights" activists all riled up, and if we don't continue our usual operations simultaneously, a few demons might put two and two together and realize that it's not the—" He paused. "Well, you know who, are behind all of these attacks on demons lately."

"Oh, come on, we're at the Crowbar for crying out loud. You can mention the 'Sl—"

"Manten!" Hiten hissed.

Manten glared at the interruption.

Hiten went on, "I don't care _where_ we are. You do _not_ mention _those people_ by name in public! Anyone could be listening!"

"It's not like they'd be able to hear anything over this racket. Anyway, I'm not worried about our other adversaries so much as I am about that...woman."

"You're afraid of a girl?" Hiten sneered. "Aren't girls usually afraid of _you_?"

"Have you heard about what she can do?" Manten snapped.

"Of course I have. But those guys were about the lowest cannon fodder imaginable. And I've got this baby," he patted his right hip under a gray trench coat.

Manten's eyes grew round. "He _gave_ you one of those? I thought they were still a prototype!"

Hiten smirked. "Well they are, sort of. They still won't do _everything_ we want, and it's just a slight modification, but it's good enough to be effective for the time being."

"I—I'll trade you," Manten offered tentatively.

"Pff, you idiot, I'm not trading weapons. Besides—" He leaned forward conspiratorially, Manten reluctantly following suit. "I wouldn't leave you hanging out to dry, brother." He withdrew his hand from an inner pocket and placed something on the table, palm covering the object. "This has two shots." He looked Manten in the eye. "If you need to use it, make sure they count."

Manten swallowed, but a grin cracked his features anyway. "I knew I could count on you, brother." He placed his hand over Hiten's, who then withdrew, leaving Manten's large palm to press against the cool metal of the tiny Derringer Standard. Manten drew it toward himself and stowed it surreptitiously in his coat.

Hiten leaned back in his chair. "Feel better?"

Manten's smile stretched his round face wider, and he habitually ran a hand across his bald head. "Much," he replied.

...

Kagome blew out a tense breath and checked her watch. 1:37 a.m. She glanced at Inuyasha, who was leaning against the wall of the Burger King they were standing behind, looking entirely too relaxed given their situation. Across the street, and out of their current line of sight, was a slightly seedy establishment called the Crowbar, where their assigned targets were ostensibly having a few drinks.

"Damn, I hate waiting," she muttered.

Inuyasha opened one eye. "Just relax. There's no point getting all keyed up yet. Kik and Toryn have things under control. And Sango and Miroku are in there for immediate backup."

She sighed and shuffled her feet. "Yeah, I know. It's just, well, it's not like I've ever done something like this before. I'm surprised you guys thought it was a good idea to drag me along."

He opened his other eye, pulling his back fully from the brick wall. "Look, you held your own against me earlier. There's no reason for me to think you can't do it against some low-level lackey."

Kagome frowned. "Maybe. But you weren't trying to kill me either..." She trailed off, a thought creeping to the forefront of her mind that had been bothering her since that morning's fight.

"Well no, but you fought better than I've seen most of these guys do."

"And that's just it. I haven't had any training. I have to take off my charm to be in any way effective."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't see what the problem with that is, at least for the time being. We'll be fighting demons, so you'll want it off anyway."

She shifted uncomfortably and finally decided to voice the thought that had been eating her all day. "Maybe, but...when I was fighting with you...I didn't feel like it was entirely me. It was like something...else...was controlling my movement. And...it felt—well, like it was _allowing_ me to stay conscious, like it could _really_ take over at any time if it wanted to." She watched Inuyasha's eyes widen slightly as she concluded her explanation.

"...Why didn't you talk about this before?"

Kagome looked away. "It took me a while to really comprehend it. And I didn't want to tell a bunch of people I'd only just met that I think my spiritual powers might have a mind of their own somehow or other."

"Yeah, but those people are counting on us," he said through tight lips. "It's not exactly fair, or good tactics, to keep something like that from everyone."

Her eyes snapped back to him. "Why do you think I tried to talk you out of dragging me along?" She bit out. "I'm well aware that the success of this whole mission could depend on us, and my inexperience on top of this spiritual power issue is a huge liability. You don't need to rub it in, thanks."

He dropped his gaze. "Yeah...I'm sorry…" he muttered guiltily, "I just..."

A sudden half-smile crossed Kagome's face as she understood. "You're not as relaxed about this as you look, are you?" She took a step toward him, searching his face for an answer.

He met her eyes briefly before looking away over her shoulder. "This isn't really the kind of thing you ever get used to. Something is always different. Even after doing this for over 100 years...the technology still changes, you never really know what you're going up against, and the last time Naraku was involved, I was too young to help out..." He stopped at the touch of Kagome's hand on his arm. Something about the look in her eyes as they met his prompted him to reach out.

Kagome just managed to muffle a childish squeak as she suddenly felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her close, warm in the chilly October night. His breath across her neck as he spoke quietly elicited a tiny shiver.

"I feel sort of responsible, you know. Since there wasn't anything I could do so long ago...I...I have to get things right, I have to keep everyone safe." A rueful expression crossed his face. "I'm not so dumb as to try to keep you out of the field...your skills are too crucial for that. But..." He pulled back a little to search her eyes, and allowed his fingers to play absently with the end of her ponytail. "...If anything happened..." He let his forehead drop to touch hers. "I'd feel..." He couldn't quite finish. He didn't honestly know what he would feel if something happened to Kagome.

Kagome took a deep breath. She let her nose touch his, breath whispering across his lips as she spoke, "...Responsible?"

He tensed as the word caressed his mouth. "You could say that," he agreed thickly.

Suddenly, a brusque female voice crackled over both of their radio headsets, and they jumped apart. "Hook and Line are fully engaged. Signals indicate they'll be coming out the front door in ten minutes or less. Sinkers Standby." It was Sango.

They recovered themselves from their surprise, and Inuyasha radioed back, "This is Sinkers 1 and 2. Got it. Moving to standby position." He glanced at Kagome as confirmations from other pairs were rattled off over their radios.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Not really. Let's go." Her voice was perhaps a little higher than usual, but firm.

Inuyasha nodded and held out his hands to give her a boost to climb the drainpipe of the low-slung building.

…

Sango and Miroku sat across from each other at a central table, where Sango had a good view of the bar, and Miroku a good view of the door.

"How are they doing?" He asked, voice tense.

"Very well." She grimaced as she watched a thickly proportioned bald man put his arm around the waist of Toryn, one of Sango's fellow Slayers. "Though I can't say I envy them their job."

Miroku chuckled. "Yes, this is definitely better," he said with a wink, sliding his hand atop hers on the table.

Sango blinked at him in surprise.

"Oh, c'mon Sango. Our cover story says we're on a date. We ought to act like it, or we'll be suspicious." He grinned at her coyly.

"Um—" Her lips tightened, then she blew out a breath. "Right." The problem wasn't so much that Miroku was indeed correct, rather, it was that she hadn't expected the tingle that made its way up her arm from their point of contact. And his smile was..._enticing,_ her mind offered up. _Dammit_, _I can't get distracted. This is too important._ She tried to separate her mind from the sensation of Miroku stroking her palm. It was more difficult than she would have liked.

"You alright?" Miroku asked, pausing in his ministrations.

"Yeah, I'm just…"

"Nervous?" He resumed the impromptu hand massage.

"Not…exactly." _If he keeps doing that…_

Miroku cocked his head to the side and leaned forward across the table. He wished Sango would look at him, instead of over his shoulder, but he understood the necessity to watch their targets closely.

"Then what?"

"I—" Sango paused for a moment, steeling her self.

Finally, her eyes slid from their targets to settle on Miroku, expression unreadable. To his surprise, she laid her other hand atop his, stilling his motion.

"Miroku— this is— distracting." Her eyes slid away from his as she finished the sentence. "I don't mind your hand on mine, but if you wouldn't mind, um, not—well…"

It dawned on him what the problem was, and he smirked. "I'll refrain from massaging your lovely hand, Sango," he said, laughter sparkling in his eyes as he gave her hand one final squeeze.

Sango breathed a sigh of relief and removed her other hand from atop Miroku's. "Thank you," she muttered, her attention fully returning to Kikyou and Toryn at the bar.

Suddenly, she saw Toryn's hand clench into a fist and unclench three times. Kikyou echoed the gesture less than a second later.

Sango gripped Miroku's hand hard. He jumped.

"Sango, what—?"

But she already had her hand on the tiny radio device in her ear. "Hook and Line have made the catch. One minute until exit. Sinkers in position." She looked at Miroku as she lowered her hand from the device. "As soon as they walk past us, it's up to you to watch them—"

"—So we can time our exit accordingly." He finished with a tight smile. "I remember." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Her gaze flicked to his, and he saw the fires of determination blazing in their depths, then briefly a trace of something softer, but it was gone just as swiftly. A bulky figure moved past him, accompanied by another, smaller lithe-looking man and the two women he was pretending he didn't know. The large bald man opened the door.

…

"Well, my dears," Hiten said, "we're going our separate ways for the evening," He gestured at Manten, "but if you'd like to accompany us individually…" He trailed off with a suggestive smile that edged on predatory.

Kikyou and Toryn glanced at each other nervously. Splitting themselves up was definitely not in the original plan. Their targets were supposed to stay together. They'd just have to work with it if they wanted the charm back. Toryn reached back and divided her hair, pulling half to each side of her face before giving Kikyou a small nod.

She turned to Manten, a salacious edge to her voice, "I think we'd like that."

He smirked down at her. "Then shall we?"

Toryn threw one more look in Kikyou's direction to see if she was indeed okay with the split, but she was already smiling up at Hiten as they walked westward down 106th street. Manten turned them the opposite direction, offering his arm to Toryn, who rested her hand on it lightly.

…

From the roof of the Burger King, Inuyasha and Kagome watched the exchange between the four outside the bar.

"Shit! They're splitting up!" Kagome hissed.

"What?"

"Toryn just did the hair thing."

"Crap." He'd been watching Kikyou. "Radio the team."

"Right." She pressed the button on her headset. "This is Sinkers 1 and 2. Hook just gave the signal that she and Line are splitting. Divide according to our alternative plan."

"Shit, this is bad," Inuyasha muttered. They'd considered that this might happen, and so had planned for it, but it was still a major blow to their tactical advantage. Now they knew that the intelligence they'd based their plans on was flawed, so there was likely to be a lot more improvisation. Which meant more opportunities for injury. His eyes shifted to Kagome, who was watching Toryn and Target A walk east down the road.

"We should get going," she said, her voice breaking into his thoughts. "Sango and Miroku will tail the other two, right?"

"Yeah."

"Charms off then?"

He nodded. Their two targets obviously still had theirs on, and so shouldn't be able to detect anything out of the ordinary. They both slipped their necklaces off, pocketing them.

Inuyasha bent down, offering his back to Kagome, who clambered on with some uncertainty. They'd only practiced this twice earlier that afternoon, and as exhilarating as it was, it was also—

Inuyasha leapt off the roof.

—_slightly terrifying,_ Kagome thought, barely stifling a small squeak. Her stomach dropped as they descended to the next rooftop, Inuyasha expertly cushioning their landing. He ran a few paces before taking another flying leap, and Kagome swore it was like riding a living, breathing, roller coaster. Another leap, and they were ahead of their target, able to pause and watch their approach.

…

Toryn attempted to titter at something Manten had said, but was afraid that it had come out sounding entirely fake. Which it was, but part of the success of the mission depended on her acting skills. At the moment, she was wishing they were a little better. As they passed next to a building, and Manten guided them around the corner at the end of the block, she had to resist the urge to look up to where she knew Inuyasha and Kagome would be staked out.

"Hey, woman, did you hear a word I just said?" Manten snapped.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry! I must have just spaced out a little." She gave a saccharine smile. "I must be a little tired. We _are_ going back to your place, right?" She added suggestively.

The annoyance left his eyes in favor of a lecherous smirk. "Shortly. There's an errand I need to run first."

"Oh, that's just fine. I'm happy to tag along!" Inwardly she groaned at her response. _God I sound like such a fool. I guess that's the idea though…_

Manten grunted. This woman was _really_ starting to get on his nerves, but there was nothing he could do about it. She seemed a bit dense for a Slayer, but according to his sources, that's exactly what she was. So he played along with her. It amused him that he was the only one who knew they were both acting. _Ah, well. She'll find out soon enough._

They crossed the street on the diagonal, heading into a large parking lot behind a long, low-slung, dilapidated building. He led them along the back wall.

Toryn shifted nervously. She hadn't seen Inuyasha or Kagome following them, but she had also been trying hard not to look. She could feel them though, just at the edge of her counter-charm's range.

"Manten, where are we—"

Suddenly, she was slammed into the wall, head cracking against the bricks. A hand tightened at her throat, while another groped her breast. Her eyes watered and she fought to breathe. _—what in the hell—?_

"Listen good, Slayer bitch," Manten hissed hotly in her ear. He pressed his body into hers. "One way or another, you're gonna tell me where the rest of your little friends are." He squeezed her breast until she let out a gasp of pain. "_Then_ you can give me what you've been hinting at all night long, ya little slut."

—_Fuck! Fuckfuckfuck! Where the hell is my backup? _Toryn thought frantically, trying to put the hand violating her out of her mind. She felt sticky wetness slide up the side of her neck, and she realized with disgust that he'd just licked her. She wished he would shift so she could wiggle an arm free, but she was well and truly pinned. He stood on her feet too, so she couldn't even bring a knee up to his crotch.

Then, the image in front of her shimmered, and what had been a phantom image before solidified into a large, grayish demon with a bulbous head, pointed face and a nasty row of incredibly sharp teeth. He looked like a shark built for land.

…

Kohaku held his breath. That had been a little too close for comfort. He heard Sango's voice float over the top of the dumpster he was currently ensconced behind.

"Are you sure, Miroku? I could have sworn I heard something. And... I just can't shake this feeling that we're being followed..."

Kohaku ground his forehead into the palm of his hand. He had been explicitly ordered to stay behind, but his sense of guilt had led him to give Kali the slip and follow Sango out. He was starting to wonder whether that had been such a good idea.

"I know what you mean, Sango, but if we keep looking over our shoulders, we're going to lose our target. He's not exactly moving slowly."

A frustrated sigh reached Kohaku's ears. "Yeah, I know. Just... keep an eye on our backs for me, okay? I'll make sure we don't lose our target."

Miroku chuckled. "Just warn me if I'm about to back into a pole or something, okay?"

"You know what I mean, Miroku."

"So you'll tell me, then?" He pressed.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Let's get going. You said yourself he's not moving slowly," she said, voice tinged with exasperation.

"Alright, alright."

Kohaku heard their footsteps recede. He let out a breath and peered over the top of the dumpster just in time to see Miroku sling an arm across Sango's shoulders.

"Miroku," she said, shoving his arm off, "We don't need to pretend we're on a date anymore."

"But I'm protecting your back..." He made another attempt at the gesture.

Sango shimmied out of the way and lightly smacked his hand. "Miroku!" She hissed. "That is _quite_ enough! We have a—" Suddenly she found herself yanked behind a building. "—job—what the hell?" She snapped, realizing it was Miroku who had unceremoniously pulled them against the brick wall, arm wrapped tightly around her waist. He held a finger to his lips, a tense expression crossing his face.

Sango gave him a questioning frown.

He shook his head in response, and then leaned to the side to peer around the corner of the building. Having taken his charm off earlier, he could sense the new demon who was now conversing with their target... and whose body language indicated hostility toward Kikyou, who was in the unfortunate position of having her back to the front wall of a building any possible escape route cut off.

Miroku had sensed the demon before he'd rounded the corner at the end of the street. While his raw spiritual attack power was relatively low, his senses were incredibly finely tuned, and the intricacy of his control over his powers deadly.

"What is it?" He heard Sango whisper.

"Another demon. I sensed him coming."

"What? But I can't feel anything even with my counter-charm. And doesn't he have a charm on anyway?"

"If he does, it's even weaker than Inuyasha's. I can still feel his aura through it. He certainly _looks _like he's wearing one..."

"...What are you saying?"

"It's possible that they've figured out some way to hide their appearance without dampening their powers..."

Sango paused to chew on the idea. "That would give them a _huge _tactical advantage... On the other hand, he could just be one of those demons that can wear a human appearance if he chooses. Those do exist, even if they're pretty rare…but there's really no use speculating right now. We'll probably find out soon enough." She ducked under Miroku's elbow to peer around the wall as well.

"D'you think we should radio our Sinker team and close in yet?" Miroku asked. "They don't seem to be going anywhere, and Kikyou's starting to look awfully nervous."

"Not yet. Not unless they make a move to attack her."

His lips tightened. He didn't like it, but Sango was right. To his relief, the two demons seemed to finish their conversation, and the group started to move off toward the end of the street, where it opened up to what looked like some sort of chemical plant and a bridge. As they walked away, Miroku saw Kikyou clasp her hands behind her back. _Bring backup._ Her elbows straightened. _Fast._

…

"Inuyasha, let _go_ of me!" Kagome hissed.

"No! You can't go down there, or you'll blow our cover!"

"Our cover's _already_ blown! Didn't you hear him? He knows we're around here somewhere!"

"Toryn's a slayer! She can get out of this! You have to trust her!"

Kagome struggled again in Inuyasha's grasp. "Can't you see he's got her pinned? What is _wrong_ with you?"

"She'll get out of it! Slayers _always_ have tricks up their sleeves!" He held tighter.

"Not when they can't move at all! Now let. Me. Go!" She let her power flare.

"Kagome, what are you— Oof!" Her elbow connected with his gut, and he stumbled backward, letting go of her. "Kagome! Don't—!" Too late. Gold flame leapt from her palms, and a split second later she followed her blast over the edge of roof.

"Kagome!" _Dammit_. He pushed the button on his radio. "Sinkers, do _not_ follow her. They don't know how many of us there are. I'll take care of this." Two affirmatives crackled back to him. He leapt over the edge of the roof.

…

Manten was just about to bite down when he felt a telltale flare of spiritual power. His head snapped up just in time to dodge the golden flame directed at him, but he had to let go of the Slayer he had pinned to do it. A knee connected hard with his sternum, and he stumbled backward with a grunt.

"Bitch!" He snapped, ducking another gold fireball. The spiritualist woman had a lot of guts using her powers out in the open like this. He could play that game too. He grinned as lightning crackled in his palms.

He watched the women hesitate as they saw the arcing white sparks in his hands. His toothy grin widened. He let the lightning surge forward.

It met red and gold with a blinding flash, a bang, and a shower of sparks. _Red?_ He thought. As the smoke cleared, he saw the half-demon who had just arrived. _Great._ Realizing he was outnumbered, he considered running— until he remembered his guns. In one swift motion, he pulled a severely modified Sig Sauer P229 from its concealed holster at his hip and pulled the trigger.

The bullet leapt from the barrel in a flash of fire and white lightning, streaking toward his adversaries.

…

"Miroku, look!" Sango whispered.

He peered around the pile of scrap metal they hid behind. "…There's so many of them…"

"I know. And more keep coming. I wonder what they're here for?" She scanned the scrap yard.

"No telling, but I hope the backup we called arrives soon. There's no way we can take on all of them at once."

"Are you sure we'd even have to? A lot of them don't even look like fighters. Look, that kid right there can't be older than 14…"

"They're still all demons though."

Sango grimaced. "True enough." Not only that, almost all of them had their charms off. Miroku had had to put his charm back on so they wouldn't be detected.

"It's a good thing our guy hasn't taken his charm off. That would really make Kikyou stand out…" Miroku mused.

"Yeah, well I'm already suspicious because he brought her here in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Kikyou was posing as a normal human. This place is full of demons. She never reacted to their presence, even though it's obvious."

"So you're saying…"

"That they probably suspected she's not a 'normal human,' and now her lack of reaction confirms that."

Miroku's eyes widened. "So we're just waiting for this to blow up in our faces then."

"Uh-huh."

As if on cue, a loud yell rent the air, causing Sango and Miroku to jump.

"Let go of me!"

Sango stiffened. She knew that voice. _It can't be—!_

"No way, ya sneak! You're coming—ow!"

Kohaku dashed into view, wielding a wickedly curved, bloodied knife, a terrified expression pinching his face.

Sango leapt up to bolt from their hiding place and go to Kohaku, but Miroku's firm grip stopped her.

"Sango! Are you nuts? Look how many of them there are!"

"Miroku, let me go, I don't care about that! Kohaku's going to—"

"We can't just go running out there! We'll get ourselves killed! And Kohaku too!"

"But—"

"They could've killed him already, and they haven't! But they might if they see _you!_"

Sango sagged against him. "You're right. We should wait for backup." She watched forlornly as a group of demons subdued her brother and dragged him toward where Kikyou and their target stood. Thankfully, Kikyou didn't show surprise or recognition. Her position was precarious enough as it was.

Kikyou did, however, give him a look of disgust. She jumped when a hand closed around her wrist. Hiten's harsh voice sounded in her ear.

"I sincerely hope a mere child isn't your only accomplice, my dear priestess."

…

Bricks blew up in a flash of lightning and flame, flinging chunks of hardened clay over their crouched figures. They looked up.

A maniacal grin split Manten's features. He wouldn't miss the second shot. He pulled the trigger—

Kagome cringed, flung her hands up in a desperate attempt to protect—

—Gold met lightning and fire— Spiritual power met Demonic power—

—and the bullet itself exploded, rocketing tiny razors in every direction.

Kagome felt them sear into her skin, each metal splinter drawing a drop of blood. Suddenly, her arm was being tugged on, and she looked up to meet Toryn's urgent gaze.

"Come on! Inuyasha's got him on the run, we have to catch up!"

"What?" Kagome asked, confused. It had only been seconds, so surely—

"As soon as you put up that barrier, he jumped up and went after Manten. Come _on,_ they're already halfway across the parking lot!"

Kagome shook herself and broke into a sprint, Toryn close behind. She watched as Inuyasha cornered the other demon against the Skyway's concrete underpass. Manten's gun lay discarded where Inuyasha had knocked it from his grasp. Their auras, red and electric blue, clashed as they fought.

Inuyasha dodged a vicious, sparking fist from Manten and swiped in with his claws. He connected with Manten's side in a spray of blood that blended with his crackling red aura. Manten hissed. But he didn't fall back. Suddenly, pain blasted through Inuyasha's jaw as Manten's lightning-laced foot slammed into his face. He hit the pavement and felt his head crack against concrete. Gold flame flashed across his vision. A shout. He leapt to his feet.

Kagome had Manten running, dodging along the concrete wall of the Skyway. Abruptly, he stopped and whirled around, just ducking another blast. Kagome's eyes widened as he charged her. She tried to pull another spiritual missile together, but he was ten feet from her now. She heard Inuyasha shouting as something small and shining appeared in Manten's grasp. Kagome stumbled, her shot of gold flame went awry— a hand yanked her wrist, jerked her sideways—

Pain exploded in her left shoulder. Her eyes went wide as she fell back.

Toryn surged past her, long knives seeming to simply materialize in her hands. She and Inuyasha were on Manten simultaneously, trapping him in a bloody sandwich of blades and claws. They pulled back, and Manten dropped to the ground, chest and back raked apart, scarlet pooling quickly around him. He didn't move again.

Inuyasha dashed to where Kagome lay, hand to her shoulder, blood seeping between her fingers. He knelt and propped her up against his lap.

"Toryn, find our Sinkers and tell them to get medical supplies stat."

"On it." She put a hand to her radio headset and went dashing back the way they'd come.

He turned back to Kagome, worry pinching his features. "Let me see it."

"Inuyasha," she breathed. "My— look at my arms."

"What? No, let me see your shoulder."

"No— my arms— look." She sucked in a sharp breath. "My spiritual markings— are gone."

…

Kikyou stiffened. _So they know. As I suspected._ She looked Hiten in the eye, taking the opportunity to let her charm ring slip off her finger. "Very well, then."

Her whole body flared the palest blue, verging on white, and she broke his grip on her wrist, thrusting her hands forward. Her palms connected with Hiten's chest, singeing a hole in his shirt and knocking him to the ground.

"You should have done your homework on _which_ priestess," she spat, eyeing the demons who had quickly encircled her and Kohaku. "Stand back to back with me," she muttered at him. "Don't worry. You're human, my power can't hurt you." He quickly complied, drawing a knife from his sleeve.

"You're well out-numbered, bitch," Hiten sneered, pulling himself to his feet.

"Only briefly," Kikyou returned, and jabbed her right hand skyward. A light blue dragon leapt snake-like from her fist, a shining beacon in the dark. The demons froze for a split second. She smirked, flicked her hand open. The dragon split into five in a bright flash, each one arcing downward in a deadly spiritual flame.

Demons tried to scatter. The flaming dragons landed among them, blue flames exploding outward, and the demons were met in a flurry of smoke and sparks by the blades of the Slayers.

Suddenly, lightning arced by her shoulder, just missing. She whirled to face Hiten, who'd managed to get behind her in the chaos created by her spiritual dragons.

His face was contorted in rage. He flung another blast of lightning her direction.

Kikyou tossed up a shield and grabbed Kohaku. "Move! We need to find Sango!"

"Right," he agreed, sidestepping a demon one of the other Slayers had just knocked into his path.

Kohaku followed Kikyou as closely as he could. Her blasts of spiritual energy kept most attackers at bay as they swept through the melee. Abruptly, they came to a halt, and everything was tinted pale blue as Kikyou encased them both in a spiritual shell.

"Kikyou, what—?"

"It's Oshou! Look up!"

He did. A huge spider that hadn't been there moments before loomed over them, enormous pincers dripping venom that sizzled against the spiritual barrier. Kohaku's mouth fell open.

Before either of them could do anything, the monstrous pincers descended, connecting with the shield in a shower of sparks. A fissure appeared.

"Kikyou—!" But before he could finish, the shield broke apart like so many splinters of light. He ducked, thrusting his knife upward at descending death. It did no good. Black pincers closed around his waist.

He scrunched up his eyes, expecting excruciating pain. Instead, he was suddenly pulled upward, a firm, but surprisingly gentle grip on his midsection. The ground fell away from his vision as the spider demon pulled him higher.

His eyes found Kikyou with the sudden burst of blue light that shredded the webbing around her.

"Kikyou!" He called out, voice strained with terror. The pincers tightened menacingly around his middle. He fell silent.

Then a new voice pierced the din.

"Kohaku!"

_Sango!_ He raised his head in time to see a flash of silver whirl past him. The great hairy beast stumbled as Sango's throwing knife embedded itself in the spider's side, but Oshou didn't let him go. The spider tightened its grip, and Kohaku flinched as the sharp edges bit into his leather jacket. Then, it sprang.

Wind slapped his face as they sailed through the air above the colorful battle raging below. A blast of pale blue flame streaked past him, missing the spider demon by inches. He could hear Sango screaming for him. But there was nothing he could do. If he so much as made a vaguely threatening gesture, the spider demon would snap him in two. He would have to wait until it put him down before he could attempt to escape.

…

Inuyasha's eyes flicked to Kagome's forearms. At first, he thought it was as she said, that her markings had disappeared, but then he noticed their outline, ever so faint, as her skin caught the light of a nearby streetlamp.

"They're—they're not gone Kagome," he tried to reassure her. "They're just... faded."

"Are you—sure?" She asked, flinching.

"Yeah. Now let me see your shoulder." His golden eyes shifted to meet her scared and pained brown ones. Inuyasha rested his hand atop Kagome's, where she had it pressed to the wound.

She gave him a small nod. He gently grasped her hand and moved it away, a small trail of blood following the motion and dribbling on her shirt. She grimaced. He frowned apologetically, and then used his claws to carefully slice away the fabric of her sleeve around the wound.

He gasped.

"What is it?" Kagome asked a little frantically, trying to sit up.

"Don't—" Inuyasha started. She stilled, biting back a curse. "It's just that—" he paused. "Well, it's glowing."

And indeed it was. A faint, dirty purple light pulsed gently from the wound, reflecting strangely on the crimson smeared across her shoulder.

"...What?" She asked, eyes wide, jerking her head up slightly.

"Yeah. It's probably the reason your marks are so faint."

She let her head fall back into his lap. "Get it out."

"We will, don't worry."

"Now."

"Kagome..."

"Inuyasha—that—_thing—_is glowing and—" She hissed as pain lanced through her shoulder.

"Kagome, you need to relax, okay?" He brushed a stray hair off her face as he leaned over her.

"I—Inuyasha, you don't understand..." She reached up with her uninjured arm and grabbed his hair, smearing the pristine white with red. She pulled him closer.

_What is she— _"Kagome—?"

Her breathing was suddenly shallow and fast. She tried to focus on his face, but her vision swam and blurred.

"Please." She whispered. "It's—It's doing something to me. I can—I can feel it. Get it—out. Please."

His eyes widened at her plea, as he realized he couldn't feel her aura the way he usually could. It was like she was being pulled away from him.

"I will. Right now."

Kagome's eyes slid closed in relief. "Thank you," she breathed.

Inuyasha reached toward her shoulder, claws extended. When the sharp tips stretched the entry wound, he heard Kagome gasp.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. His claws finally found and closed around the bullet. But when he pulled, there was a flare of purple and it wouldn't budge.

Another hiss of pain met his ears. His eyes flicked to Kagome's face. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and her eyes were screwed shut. He withdrew his fingers from the wound.

"Kagome." He cupped her face with his unbloodied hand.

Her eyes fluttered open. She tried again to pull his face into focus, but the images still separated and blurred.

"Yeah?" She managed. His breath on her face was soothing.

"There's some sort of aura around the bullet keeping me from getting it out."

She grimaced. "So you can't—?"

"No, I think I can. But I'll need to use my demonic power. And it will probably hurt...a lot." He watched her face carefully. Her eyes seemed to slide into sudden focus.

"Do it," came the tiny whisper.

"Okay." He leaned over her, searching her eyes for an answer. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure," her breath slid over his mouth.

"Alright then." He pulled back and took a deep breath, focusing his energy in his claws. When they glowed red, he slid them into the wound and grasped the bullet. It pulsed an angry purple, and Kagome cried out. He flinched at the pain in her voice and then steeled himself.

He directed the flow of his power around the bullet, cutting it off from Kagome's energy, and gave a sharp pull.

Kagome shrieked, sound splitting the air. She felt as though her entire arm had been removed as agony ripped through her. Then it was over, and her shoulder pulsed and spasmed as she felt the dark aura dissipating from her system. Deliriously, she cracked open her eyes. Inuyasha's face swam above her, extremely close.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—" His voice seemed to echo, as though it came from far away. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, comforting and warm.

"Inu—Inu—" Her tongue wouldn't obey her, she couldn't finish his name.

"Kagome?"

She blinked at him. "Thank—thank you."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled again, burying his face next to her neck.

"Inu—" But she was cut off as warm lips covered her own. Her eyes widened, though her vision still wouldn't focus properly. His lips moved against hers, pressing urgently, but softly. She let her eyes slide shut again, giving into the warmth, letting it pull her mind away from the throbbing in her shoulder. She felt his aura rise and wrap around her, and then her own sputtered to life, weakly brushing against his before focusing healing energy in her shoulder. Something in her chest clenched. A small groan vibrated against her mouth, then a hot tongue brushed against her lips, and she started to part them, the tip of her tongue coming out to meet his—

"Inuyasha!" Came a distant shout.

And as suddenly as his lips were on hers, they were gone as his head snapped up.

"Over here still!" Inuyasha called back. _I can't believe I just hauled off and kissed her like that!_ He inwardly berated himself. _She's hurt! There are better ways to comfort someone than—_

"How's she doing?" Toryn asked upon arrival, two others close on her heels.

Inuyasha glanced down. Kagome snared his gaze for a moment before smiling slightly and looking over to Toryn.

"I'll live," Kagome sighed. She peeked at her forearms. She could discern her markings better now, but they still didn't have anything close to their usual prominence.

Toryn nodded. "Good." She gestured toward the man who'd come up to her right. "This is Erik, one of our field medics. He'll patch you right up."

Kagome nodded from her prone position. Then something occurred to her. "Hey, what—what about—that demon? I—I don't think—"

"Don't worry about it," Inuyasha said, anticipating her thoughts and running a soothing hand through her bangs. "Another priestess is here. She'll do the cremation."

"Oh. Okay." She let her weight sink back into his lap.

Erik leaned over her shoulder, inspecting the wound with a flashlight.

"Well, it looks like your body has already started to heal itself a bit," he commented. "The blood is clotting up well. You'll need stitches, but I can clean you up and get you bandaged here in the mean time." He pulled a wipe from the pack he'd set down and tore open the package. "This will probably sting a little," He advised.

Kagome bit her lip as the alcohol from the wipe dripped into the entry wound. It was nothing compared to when Inuyasha had removed the bullet though, and she kept from making any noise.

A sudden shift in light made her look up. The priestess Inuyasha had mentioned was cremating the demon they had killed. Kagome was glad that it wasn't her job this time.

…

"Kohaku!" Sango yelled again.

The huge spider demon clutching her brother was quickly picking its way through the pitched battle, its hairy legs suspending it at least fourteen feet in the air. Despite the chaos, Sango realized that probably only a third of the original demon group was actually fighting; the rest had either escaped the premises or were huddled in terrified clumps behind piles of scrap metal. Even so, the fray on the ground was dense enough that she couldn't catch up with the nimble spider demon.

Suddenly, a scaled, clawed foot was streaking toward her head. She almost didn't see it, but her instincts protected her. Her hand shot out, grabbing the foot and giving it a vicious twist. The demon collapsed in front of her. She shoved past it, uncaring whether she'd completely disabled it. She had to get to Kohaku.

Making up her mind, she decided to do something she'd originally shied away from, simply because of the crowded and chaotic nature of the combat. From her hips, underneath her heavy coat, she drew twin Glock 26 pistols. Leaping over a demon that had fallen into her path, she leveled the guns at the enormous arachnid.

The crack of two shots snapped through the shouting and thuds of the fracas. Demons and humans alike whirled at the sudden noise. No one had been so bold as to draw guns up to that point. The risk of friendly fire was too great.

A moment of brief silence descended.

Then came the muffled laughter of the spider demon, the guttural sound rolling across the scrap yard. He glared down at the woman and her offending firearms, all eight beady eyes shining in the moonlight. Red trickled down his side, catching and changing course through the matt of black hairs. _So that's how you wanna play, eh?_ Unable to speak with his mouth full, Oshou settled for conveying his message another way. He tightened his pincers around the boy's waist.

Kohaku cried out as the air was squeezed out of him, bruising his lower ribcage.

Sango inhaled sharply. She understood perfectly. _Move another inch and he dies._

Kohaku's shout of pain seemed to be the signal to continue the clash. Demons leapt at humans, and the spider turned and made his escape from the scrap yard, transforming back into a human form before throwing himself and Kohaku into the back seat of a car that came screeching off the bridge.

Sango stood, desolate. She knew if she went after him now, he would be killed. She hoped he had been smart enough to fit himself with his Slayer tracking device before following them out. Even if he hadn't turned it on, he might get the chance to later.

At the Spider demon's swift exit, the rest of the demons suddenly pulled back, breaking from the melee. In less than a minute, all that was left to the group of Slayers were demon bodies and the innocents still hiding amongst the scrap metal. Sango saw Kikyou beginning to move between corpses, ethereal blue fires leaving nothing but ash behind.

_Kohaku…Kohaku is—they got him. And there was nothing I could do—!_

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. She turned, meeting Miroku's concerned gaze.

"Miroku! They—they—I couldn't stop him!"

"Sango."

"Kohaku is—and it's all my fault—"

"Sango," Miroku said more firmly. He brushed her cheek with his fingers.

"I know. And it's not your fault. We'll get him back." Miroku pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Oh god, we have to. We have to." She rested her head against his shoulder. "He's the only family I have left," she whispered.

He stroked her hair. "We will. We just need to—"

"Who is the leader of the Slayers here?" A strident voice slashed through the quiet aftermath.

Sango stiffened. She pulled away from Miroku and turned to face the questioner.

"I am the ground leader for this mission," Sango replied loudly. "What is it you want?"

"My son is dead because of your people," the demoness spat.

Sango's eyes widened. "If your son was a combatant, then there's nothing—"

"My son is— was— 14 years old. He did _not_ fight. Nor did I. Or any of the rest of us." She gestured to the small gathering of demons behind her. "We came here for a _peaceful_ meeting and rally for demon rights. It is one of the few places outdoors we can take our damned charms off and transform without much risk of discovery. You destroyed it! You destroyed my son!"

"We didn't come here to disrupt your meeting! We came here tailing some dangerous demons who had stolen something important to the Slayers! And if you didn't notice, that spider demon captured my brother!" Sango was angry now. She felt bad for the demoness, but she had lost someone too, albeit hopefully less permanently. It had to be less permanently.

"You see?" She turned to the group of demons. "These Slayers have no compassion at all! They have always only considered the interests of humans, never demons and humans equally! They are complaining about stolen property when our very freedom has been stolen and withheld for centuries!" She whirled back around. "And YOU!" She pointed a clawed finger at Kikyou. "You will stop cremating those demons right now! Taking away their bodies, just like that! No regard for the families they might have! _We_ will take the bodies with us. _We _will identify them. _We _will get them to their families so they can have a proper service, and _we_ will make sure they all know who is _responsible!"_ Her eyes flashed dangerously green.

Kikyou had frozen, blue flame still held in her palm. As the demoness finished, she let the flame go out, an unreadable expression upon her face.

"Sango," Kikyou said flatly, "we should go."

"But—"

"We need to worry about finding Kohaku. Besides," she watched as the demons spread out, picking up the few corpses still left, "that demoness had a point."

The demoness narrowed her eyes at Kikyou as she paused in turning over a bloodied body, but said nothing.

Kikyou stepped to Sango's side. "We can run interference with this issue later," she said lowly. "Right now, we should get out of here."

"Alright," Sango acquiesced. Then much louder, "Slayers! We're moving out! Conceal any and all weapons. Return to the rendezvous point using your assigned route. Move!" The Slayers heeded the orders, trooping toward the opening in the fence.

Sango turned back, catching the demoness' eye. "I am sorry for your loss," Sango said, inclining her head slightly. Then she turned sharply, following Miroku toward the exit.

…

Thoroughly bandaged and sitting up, Kagome was much more comfortable than she had been. Her shoulder still throbbed, but she'd noticed a soft gold glow around the bandage, and it seemed to keep a lot of the pain at bay. Inuyasha still sat close to her side, radiating warmth. He'd put his charm back on for the time being, just in case someone approached. They'd been a little too long in one place.

"Hey Toryn," he said suddenly. "Can I see those guns you took from that demon?"

"Sure." She handed them over. "We should probably get going soon though."

"Yeah, I know, I just wanted to take a look."

There were three of them in all. The first was the tiny two-round pistol that Manten had shot Kagome with, and the second was the Sig Sauer with its odd modifications. Inuyasha frowned down at it.

"It's like this thing has a demonic aura," He mused, before picking up the third and final one. It seemed pretty normal at first, simply a standard Glock 9mm with a scope attached. But then something strange happened as he ran his fingers over the curved surface of the scope. His claws appeared. He pulled his hand back. They vanished. He heard Kagome's sharp intake of breath next to him.

"I think you found the Slayer's counter-charm."

"Looks like it."

* * *

><p><strong>This. Was. A. Beast. Hope you liked it! Thoughts?<strong>

**-ebj**


	9. Unraveling Part I

**A/N: **I am going to be splitting this chapter into two parts. It has ballooned beyond belief, and I don't think that I want to post a chapter that is well over 15,000 words long.Additionally, it is getting really heavy to write, and I think splitting it up will make my life much easier.

That being said, I feel like I am taking some very big risks with this chapter (both parts), both in terms of content and in terms of structure. I am pretty sure that doing so either paid off fantastically, or it failed horribly, going down like a jet that's lost both engines. If the latter is the case, please bear with me for the next chapter (chapter 11, actually), and I will try to parachute us out. If the former, then that's awesome. _Either way, please tell me, because I am absurdly nervous about posting this chapter (and the next part too)._

Also, while I know some of you have expressed displeasure at warnings at the beginning of a chapter, saying that they give too much away, I feel especially compelled to place a warning at the beginning of this chapter out of respect for those who may have experienced thematically similar situations:

**Trigger Warning (TW): This chapter contains graphic violence and sexual assault.** None of what I have written in this regard is meant to be interpreted as remotely any sort of "rape fantasy," or seen as "sexy" in any way, shape or form. To help you avoid the scenes altogether if necessary, I have **bolded** the first and last words of sections that may be problematic for some readers. _If you find that you are unable to read a particular scene, please refer to the very brief summary at the end of __**PART II,**__ which will tell you what occurred in the most clinical terms I can come up with._

**Chapter 9: Unraveling (Part I)**

The crack of Sango's gunshot vibrated around them, plenty audible despite their hearing protection. It was the third such shot she had taken that afternoon, and so far nothing special had happened.

"I don't understand," Sango grumbled, removing her earmuffs and motioning to everyone else to do the same. "Inuyasha, you're sure this thing spewed fire and lightning at you guys?"

"Positive. And then the bullet exploded with the second shot when it came into contact with Kagome's barrier."

Kagome jumped slightly at the sound of her name, barely heard through her earmuffs, which she promptly removed so she could hear the conversation. Her mind had been on the previous night, morning really, when Inuyasha had carried her into her apartment and then to her bed, still fairly delirious from the anesthetic administered to her when her shoulder had been stitched up. He was so gentle, she remembered, with a touch of embarrassment.

_He laid her down on her bed and removed her shoes, then pulled the blankets up to cover her. She opened her eyes a little, trying to pull the hanyou's image into focus._

_"Thanks for doing this," she mumbled softly._

_He didn't respond right away, instead hesitating briefly before leaning down and brushing his lips chastely on her forehead._

_Kagome's eyes opened a fraction further at the action._

_"Inu__—__" she started, only to be stilled as he brushed her bangs out of her face._

_"Holler if you need anything," he said quietly. "I'll leave your door open so I can hear you better." Then he rose from his seat on the edge of the bed and padded out the door, leaving it ajar. The hall light flicked off, and Kagome was left in semi-darkness, the waning crescent moon filtering its soft illumination through her blinds._

A loud _bang!_ and a thunderous _whoosh!_ nearly deafened her, snapping her neatly out of her daydream. Flinching, she rubbed her hands over her ears.

"Kali, you made it work!" Sango exclaimed, a little too cheerfully. "How?"

Frowning a little at Sango's oddly chipper attitude, Kali replied, "I let a little bit of my demon energy into it as I pulled the trigger. I thought since Manten was a demon, and you being a human couldn't get it to fire properly, that might be why."

"Hmm, interesting. Fire it again, just to see."

Kali put her earmuffs back on, action hastily emulated by everyone else in the underground range, especially Kagome, who was still feeling a bit sheepish for spacing out. It wasn't entirely her fault; the drugs they'd given her for the pain were still making her mind a little fuzzy.

Kali pulled the trigger again, completely obliterating a second target in a mass of electrical bolts and leaping flames. She flashed a grin at Sango, who nodded in approval, and then motioned for Kali to hand the gun over to Miroku, who took it, looking slightly confused.

He pulled off his earmuffs. "You know, this probably isn't going to work for me at all, if its previous behavior is anything to go by."

"I know. Use your spiritual power when you fire, and let's find out if we're right or not."

...

Darkness. Were his eyes open? They felt open. He shivered, suddenly feeling the chill that had seeped into his prone body from the cold, smooth surface on which he lay. With his second shiver, he felt an ache in his abdomen as he tried to slowly sit up. A mild pain began at his temples, then spread outward, clamping like a vise, getting worse and worse the longer he remained sitting upright. He lay back down, noticing as he did the gentle rocking motion of the surface beneath him. The pain in his head calming, he tried to remember how he had gotten here, wherever "here" was. But his mind's eye remained blank, not a single shred of memory flickering to life. Instead, a question blossomed slowly, _Why am I not afraid?_

...

Despite the fact that Miroku had pulled the trigger four separate times now, the gun refused to fire at all, each time seeming to lock up.

"See?" He said to Sango, gesturing at the gun in his hand.

She nodded thoughtfully.

"I have half a mind to say that if Kagome tried to fire it, she'd get zapped or something," he continued, glancing over to where the woman in question stood.

"Was it that negative of a response?" Kagome asked with a frown.

"Yeah, it felt like if I tried to push any more of my energy into it, it would have backfired, instead of just locking up and refusing to fire at all."

"Hmm. Can I see it?"

"Sure." He handed the Sig Sauer to Kagome, who took it in her right hand, her left arm being bound and immobilized to let her shoulder heal properly.

"This...this is such a bizarre aura," she muttered. "I can feel the demonic aura, but there's something else in there too..." She glanced up and exchanged a look with her fellow Spiritualist.

"It feels sort of like a spiritual aura, but twisted, right?" Miroku said.

"...Yeah," Kagome agreed. "But I have no idea what that could possibly be."

"Kaede might," Inuyasha put in.

"Yeah." Miroku nodded. "I don't know why we didn't have her down here to begin with. She'd be a lot more helpful with these guns than looking for Koh—" He stopped suddenly, eyes shifting to Sango.

Her expression was tight. "Well, we do need at least one more or less normal human to test these. And you know, they wouldn't let me help search anyway. I'm too close with him and might do something _rash_." The last sentence dripped with sarcasm.

An awkward silence followed.

"Sango..." Kagome started. But she was interrupted by a loud clang as the metal door to the range was thrown open and Toryn rushed in.

"You guys will _not_ believe this!" Toryn said frantically, brandishing a few sheets of computer paper.

They all simply stared.

"Uh, Toryn," Kagome started.

"What?" She said breathlessly.

"You're holding those sheets backwards."

"...Oh." She flipped the papers over and thrust them at the group.

They crowded around, staring at the printed out article.

"...Where did you find this?" Sango asked.

"It was on that _Rebel Magazine_ website we've been trying to hack into for weeks. We finally did, and not a moment too soon, I would say."

"No kidding." She peered incredulously at the headline.

_Scrap Yard Massacre: Slayers, Priestess Slaughter Demon Rights Activists_. It was accompanied by a photo of the demoness who had shouted at Sango and Kikyou, slain son in her arms.

...

Sesshoumaru's head snapped up as he heard the back door open. He rose from the chair in his office and silently made his way to the kitchen.

Kagura had her back to him, sorting through her purse a few Walgreen's bags at the island counter.

"Sesshoumaru," She greeted curtly, not turning around.

In a flash, he moved from the doorway to directly behind his wife, trapping her against the counter with his hands resting on the surface to either side of her.

"Kagura," he said lowly in her ear. He felt her cringe and stiffen, and he frowned. A few years ago she would have pressed her back into his chest, reaching back to run a hand over the side of his face and into his hair, and he would turn his head, lean down, and kiss her slowly. Not anymore. He allowed a sigh to escape his lips. "I must speak with you."

"About what?" She asked tightly, fingers curling around the black leather of her purse.

"I have questions."

Kagura's eyes went wide. _He can't possibly...?_

"Must it be now?" Perhaps she could avoid it altogether if she could delay it.

He put a hand on her shoulder, gently turning her to face him. She met his gaze unflinchingly, but inwardly she felt a flicker of guilt at the concern and anger that danced behind his eyes.

"Yes."

Kagura's lips tightened. _How much does he already know? Has Rin said finally said something...?_ "Fine."

"Good. What were you doing yesterday?"

Kagura crossed her arms, pressing herself into the counter. Still, her gaze steadily held Sesshoumaru's. _How could he possibly know I was out? I left after he did, and came home before he did... and Rin confirmed that he didn't return in between. I only just now went to the pharmacy..._

"I was working." Technically, it was the truth.

"But not at your office."

_Why does he know that?_ "What is it to you if I choose to do my work at a coffee shop?" Also technically the truth.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "But the nature of the work was not the usual, I think."

"Is there a reason you're grilling me like I'm an errant teenager?" She snapped. "Last I checked, _Rin_ is your daughter, and _I _am your _wife_."

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of a door opening upstairs followed by footsteps down the hallway stilled his tongue.

"If you're going to insist we continue this...discussion, we should move it to the basement. This isn't the sort of thing Rin should hear," Kagura said icily.

"Indeed," he agreed, turning toward the basement door.

Kagura entertained the brief notion of getting out while she still could, but when Sesshoumaru paused in the doorway, pinning her with a look, she sighed and followed after him. She shut the door behind them, turning the handle lock.

...

He let his eyes close again. It didn't matter whether he held them open or not. The dark was the same. Accompanying the rocking motion was a soft sloshing echo that seemed to permeate everything around him. _Water?_ He thought. From his prone position, he let his hands wander the cold surface he lay on, eventually encountering round, raised dots that ran closely in a line next to what felt like a seam. _...Rivets,_ his mind supplied. If only it could supply him with the more important answers.

...

Kagura leveled a glare at Sesshoumaru. "Are you going to continue the interrogation?" _I have to push him away, she thought. He can't know, or Naraku will__—_

"If you must call it that."

She cocked an eyebrow at him, letting her arms fall to her sides. An idea was beginning to take hold...

"All I desire from you is truth."

"Which I gave you." She gathered her demonic power slowly, subtly.

"In part." He shifted his weight forward. He could feel Kagura's aura thickening.

"I have never lied to you." _Only omitted anything important. I wish I could tell you..._

She locked her reddish brown eyes with Sesshoumaru's gold ones. _I'm sorry._ She straightened her hand, bringing it up across her body faster than a normal eye could track, wind twisting fiercely around her palm, and flicked her wrist. The wind blade flew at Sesshoumaru.

...

"This is way too convenient," Sango grumbled.

"You're telling me," Toryn agreed. "They make it sound like the Slayers are in the business of killing all demons, innocent or not."

"Naraku," Inuyasha muttered.

They all looked at him. He sighed. "This is just like last time. He never gets his own hands dirty."

"So then Naraku is trying to get a bunch of angry demons to do the Slayers in for him," Kagome grumbled. "Lovely." The pain medication was starting to wear off, and her shoulder was hurting, but she could think much more clearly now.

Sango sighed. "That's what it looks like anyway."

"The presence of all of those innocent demons was too serendipitous for it to be anything else," Miroku opined. "If we're going to have any success at all against Naraku, we have to avoid these activists as much as possible."

"I have a feeling he's going to make that exceedingly difficult," said Kali.

Toryn's face lit up. "Not if we can get into _Rebel's_ forums."

"But you said it took weeks to crack their website," Kali reminded her.

"Well..."

"...I could help," Kagome said quietly.

Miroku smiled knowingly.

"Really?" Toryn asked, cautiously excited.

"Yeah. It's been a little while, but I basically hacked my way through college to pay for everything."

"You hacked people's bank accounts to pay for school?" Inuyasha asked, disbelieving.

"No, you idiot. People paid me to hack various websites and databases and such. I never stole money from anyone. Sheesh."

"Whatever."

"Quit it, you two," Sango cut in. "If Kagome can help, I don't care what she was using her skills for before this. If we're going to avoid walking into any more of these traps, we have to know the protest groups' movements. ...And there may be something that will help us find Kohaku."

Five sets of eyes flashed concern for her.

"I have to help him," she whispered.

"Sango..." Toryn started.

"What?"

"I...well, I was actually going to ask you to stay here to keep testing the guns with Kali and Miroku."

"Toryn, you can't order me about."

Toryn glanced at the floor before meeting Sango's gaze steadily. "Sango, I'm sorry. The Lieutenant told me to pass on this information to get your thoughts, but...that you need to stay out of looking for Kohaku right now."

Sango ground her teeth angrily. "Is that so?"

"Sango, I understand how you must feel, but—"

"I don't think you do." Her voice was frigid.

Toryn glanced around, seeking support.

"Here I am," Sango continued, voice raising in volume, "having just watched my brother snatched away in front of my eyes, and I could do nothing about it, and now, you want me down here, playing around with a few pistols, and _continuing to do nothing?_" She was practically shouting now.

"Sango—"

"Don't you 'Sango' me! I have had _enough_ of standing around, pretending to be _just fine_ while the only family I have left is being held somewhere against his will, maybe being tortured, or dying, or already dead! I am _no_t going to continue like this! _You_ can test the guns with Kali and Miroku. You saw them in action anyway! _I_ am going to have a few words with our Lieutenant!" Sango shoved past Toryn and yanked open the door, banging it soundly into the wall, despite its significant weight.

They stood in stunned silence for a moment.

"...Uh, should we be worrying about the Lieutenant's safety?" Miroku asked jokingly, trying to pierce the stifling atmosphere.

Half-hearted laughter followed.

"I think the Lieutenant can handle herself," Toryn said, shaking her head. "I can't say I didn't expect this though. Honestly, the Lieutenant should know better..."

Miroku nodded in agreement. "I can't imagine losing someone like that and then being told I'm not allowed to do anything to help."

"I know." Toryn grimaced. "If anything, it's just asking for trouble."

"Well hopefully the Lieutenant will see some sense and Sango won't go running off by herself," Inuyasha grumbled. He'd worked with the woman long enough to know that when someone tried to stand in the way of her goals and she couldn't get them to move, she'd find a way around them before they'd even realized what had happened, proper procedure and permission be damned.

"No kidding," Toryn agreed. She sighed again. "Anyway." She turned to Kagome, proffering the article. "If you could take this upstairs up to Covert Technology Operations and tell them I sent you to help them get into _Rebel's_ forum, that would be great."

"Sure," Kagome said, taking the stack of papers and turning to leave.

"And Inuyasha," said Toryn, "If you could go up with Kagome and give your brother a call, I think we need to get more than just cursory cooperation from the Youkai Court to deal with all of this."

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah." He hated having to be the diplomat, but the meeting the day before had been coldly polite between the Slayers and the few from the Court. And only Sesshoumaru had stuck around to help see the operation through. He glanced up, seeing Kagome had paused, holding the door open and waiting for him. He hustled through the door, muttering a thank-you as he went.

...

Sesshoumaru barely dodged, and the crescent of demonic energy cracked the plaster wall on the far side of the room.

"Kagura—" But he was forced to sidestep again as another blade flew past. _What is she__—_ Then it occurred to him. Kagura could do significant damage if she wanted to. She wasn't a weak demon by any means. _She is pushing me away._ A frown pulled at his lips as another blade flicked by his face, severing a small lock of silvery hair. _I will not allow it._ Then he moved.

Kagura found herself pressed suddenly into the wall, Sesshoumaru's hands pinning her wrists firmly, but gently, his chest inches from hers. She met his gaze, her eyes hard and unforgiving.

"What do you want from me?" She spat, inwardly cringing at her tone.

An unreadable expression flickered in his eyes. "I want you to stop hiding from me."

She couldn't hold his gaze anymore. She let her eyes drop to the collar of his white dress shirt, trailing down to the silver-edged mother of pearl buttons that held the shirt closed just below the dip between his collarbones. _Impeccable, even on a Sunday afternoon..._

"Sesshoumaru..." She whispered. She felt a light touch as he let his forehead drop to hers. He still held her wrists, but his grip had lessened and she could have pulled away if she wanted to.

"I heard your voice yesterday," he said softly.

Kagura's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

He pulled back slightly so he could look her in the eye. "Kartek."

She froze. _He knows._ _He knows he knows he knows he—_ Suddenly lips were pressing firmly against her own. They hadn't kissed in two years, and it might have been like the first time all over again, but thoughts of Naraku's lecherous caress made her cringe away. But this wasn't Naraku, this was Sesshoumaru, and part of her wanted to give in, wrap her arms around him and never let go again. _No._ She couldn't. _I will not jeopardize his safety any more than it already has been. _ She pulled her wrists out of his grasp and shoved him firmly away.

Sesshoumaru let out a surprised grunt, and a tiny sliver of hurt flicked through his eyes. He had felt it. She had flinched, but then had started to kiss him back. The first person in his centuries of living that had him feeling something other than anger or apathy. And she was pushing him away, yet again.

"You— you can't—" Kagura said breathlessly. The only intimate touch she had known for the last couple years had been Naraku's control. She wanted desperately for Sesshoumaru to help erase the scars Naraku had left, and at the same time, dreaded the memories that she would inevitably have to work through. But that would mean allowing Sesshoumaru in, and she couldn't do that. Couldn't let Sesshoumaru become Naraku's pawn like she had been, in some ways still was. "Why?" She asked finally.

"Kagura." He took a step toward her. "You tell me."

Her breath hitched. She knew what he was asking.

He closed the distance between them, pressing his body to hers, running his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. She shivered, emotions running wild, unable to decide whether to press her self into his touch or shove him away. His breath brushed across the shell of her ear.

"Tell me. I am here."

Something inside of her cracked. She drew a shuddering breath.

...

Answers. He needed answers. Again, he tried to sit up. This time, no throbbing pain in his head. That was good. He thought about trying to stand. Not the best idea in pitch dark. He moved to his hands and knees, placing his right hand so he could feel the raised line of rivets on the floor. They would be his map.

...

Kagome turned the corner of the narrow hallway, coming up to a wooden door whose sign read, "CTO Office." She knocked.

No one answered, and she frowned.

"You could just see if it's unlocked, you know," Inuyasha suggested from behind her.

"That would be kind of rude," Kagome said. "Not to mention—"

The door fairly flew open, revealing a rather harried looking man holding a mug of coffee with a diagram of a caffeine molecule printed on the side.

"Sorry for the wait," he rushed. "We heard you knock, but we found a worm on one of our computers a few minutes ago, can you believe that? _Our_ computers! So we were trying to contain it, but it wasn't working, so we ended up having to pull the computer offline and—" He stopped, seeming to become aware of his babbling. "I'm sorry, I know we met earlier this morning, but I can't remember your names. Just too much going on today, you know."

Kagome smothered an amused grin. "No worries. It's Kagome. And that's Inuyasha," she said, gesturing behind her.

"Toryn sent us up here, or she sent me anyway, to help with getting into _Rebel's_ forum. Inuyasha needs to use your secure line to call Sesshoumaru about working with the Youkai Court."

A small smile turned up the corners of his mouth. "Ah, okay. Well, I'll take you to see Aave*— she's in charge of this ship. Oh, and in case you forgot too, my name's Hitoshi." He pulled the door fully open and stepped aside to allow them in.

They followed Hitoshi down a hallway lined with old computer equipment and just about every kind of cable imaginable. Kagome noticed a wry grin hovering at Inuyasha's mouth.

"What's funny?" She asked quietly, nudging him with her elbow.

He nodded toward Hitoshi, who was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as they walked down the hall, and Inuyasha was surprised that his coffee wasn't spilling everywhere. "His name means 'even-tempered' in Japanese."

Kagome muffled a snort. "Ah."

They reached an expansive office at the end of the hall that was dark except for rows and rows of computers, screens glowing an eerie blue on the faces of those working with them.

"Hey, Aave!" Hitoshi called loudly, making everyone in the room jump and scowl.

A spectral woman rose gracefully from a desk in the back left corner of the room, her fair skin looking completely ethereal in the cold light of the computer screens. She made her way through the maze of desks and wires, seeming to float instead of walk.

Kagome was rather unnerved. This woman's aura was strange— human, certainly, but a touch of demonic energy moved at the edges, a bit like Inuyasha's, but much less pronounced. Kagome frowned and glanced at Inuyasha, whose expression indicated that he'd noticed the odd aura as well.

...

"Sesshoumaru."

"Yes?" He asked, drawing back to look at her properly.

Kagura closed her eyes, drawing another deep breath. "We should sit down. And you need to stop touching me."

Sesshoumaru's expression tightened, but he nodded anyway, letting his hands fall to his sides. He turned to the squishy, purple sofa, the one that Rin had insisted would be "cozy and welcoming" when they'd re-finished the basement into a den, complete with a large flat-screen TV, several full-to-bursting bookcases, and a mini-fridge.

Kagura sank down, grateful for once that Rin had insisted on the ugly, albeit extremely comfortable, sofa. Its soft upholstery was much more soothing than the stiff leather and modern lines of the one in the living room. She sighed. _Where to begin?_

Next to her, Sesshoumaru studied her face intently, but did not infringe on her personal space. The eight or so inches separating them may as well have been a chasm thousands of miles across.

She chanced a glance his direction. _If our positions were reversed, I might have given up on him by now. And if I hadn't, I would want to know too._ It was the thought that had entered her mind unbidden when Sesshoumaru had turned her question around on her, and she repeated it to herself, strengthening her newfound resolve to share some of her burden.

Kagura looked away, unable to hold Sesshoumaru's gaze, his eyes that betrayed deep concern despite the tight rein he always held on his emotions.

"I'll never forget the date," she started, speaking to one of the bookcases. It was easier that way. "December 27th, two days after the Christmas before last." _Almost two years ago._

Sesshoumaru nodded slightly. He remembered. Kagura hadn't come home until almost 5 a.m., they'd had a fight, and she had slept in the guest room ever since. She never told him what really happened that night, and he hadn't wanted to go behind her back, but eventually he'd had no other choice. He'd asked his sources to try to find out, but the trail was cold, and Kagura's demonic powers could make her impossible to track if she so chose.

"I told you that I was working late, the same as the night before, and the same as the days leading up to Christmas day. I wasn't lying." Working at a law firm was like that, and she was a partner, which meant even longer hours. "But I was omitting."

Omission. How she had deceived Sesshoumaru, how she continued to deceive Naraku. She swallowed, her hands fisting around the cuffs of her sweater.

"I left my office at around 10 that night and started to walk down the one block to the parking garage. It was a Sunday, so there were only a few people downtown at that hour. I was still wearing my charm, and they must have been too at first, because I never felt them coming…"

_Kagura hurried down the street that was intermittently lit with yellowish streetlamps, taking a glance over her shoulder. It was one of those too-quiet winter nights where the snow muffled the city noises, and she felt like she was being followed. The feeling had happened before, several times, but each time, nothing had come of it, so she tried to brush it off as useless worrying brought on by too much stress. _

_The trial for a corporate fraud case began next week, and she was the prosecuting attorney. She and her cohorts at the firm had spent months collecting data and putting together the case, and now it was all coming to a head. This particular case was complicated by the fact that one of the clients had indicated demon involvement, which of course she couldn't talk about with the other partners at the firm, so she was working over-time even more than usual to put together separate documents and files to bring the case before the Youkai Court. _So much for a relaxing holiday,_ she thought. She had hoped to take off the couple of days after Christmas, but that plan had gone out the window when she received a 5 a.m. phone call the previous day._ At least I got one day off…

_Suddenly, a wave of demonic energy crashed over her. Kagura gasped at the powerful invasion of her senses she could feel even through her charm, and before she could react, she found herself thrown to her knees, hands yanked behind her back. A viciously clawed hand jerked her face upward and shoved a cloth in her mouth, slapping a piece of duct tape over it, just as she felt tape also bind her wrists. Panicking, she managed to shove backward against one of her attackers, sending herself and the assailant tumbling into the snow drifting in the street gutters. _

_She stumbled to her feet and out of the drift to try to run, but found her self caught around the waist in an inhumanly strong grip. With as much force as her cold muscles could muster, she jammed her knee into the crotch of her attacker and followed it with a hard stomp to his instep. He doubled over, and she broke away again, hoping to get to a more populated area— her corporate district was all but deserted._

_A shot rang out, snapping the brittle air like an ice sickle, and she felt sharp pain blossom between her shoulder blades. _Odd, I'm still running,_ she thought, detachedly. Then she realized that it didn't feel like a bullet at all— it felt like— her vision blurred and she stumbled, barely regaining balance— _more like a needle_— gray invaded in her peripheral— _or a dart_— she tripped again, this time falling heavily onto the pavement— _tranquilizers—

_When she awoke, she had to blink several times to be sure her eyes were indeed open. Either she had been blinded, or she was in pitch dark, and she had no idea which. Anxiety seized her for a moment before she got a handle on herself to try to analyze her situation. First, she noted that her hands were still bound with tape, though her mouth had been un-gagged. She could feel the press of her charm around her neck, the jade pendant bouncing under her shirt as she sat up. A headache seized her, but she ignored it. _

_The soft slosh of water echoed around her, and rivets pressed into her through her clothing. The surface she sat on was frigid, definitely made of metal. She banged her heel firmly on the floor, listening to the sound reverberate through her prison. She took a deep breath, piecing the clues together._ Water. Rivets. Metal. Hollow echoes. A boat. One large enough to have a sizable hull, so probably on Lake Michigan. _She had eaten around eight that night, and she was now only slightly hungry, leading her to guess that it was some time around midnight, possibly one, if the tranquilizer had affected her appetite._ So I can't be _that_ far offshore, since the office is a bit of a drive from the lake. _The thought was little comfort though. No one would know where she was._

_A distant bang sounded, followed by footsteps. Lights came on all at once, and she had to shut her eyes against the glare._ _A chuckle reached her ears. She cracked her eyes open, unsure who or what to expect. Despite the presence of her charm, she still felt the dark demonic aura that rolled off the intruder._

_A handsome demon strode into her line of sight; his long, wavy black hair cascaded around his shoulders, and dark bangs highlighted red eyes that were uncannily almost the mirror of her own when she removed her charm. Beautiful as he was, an unmistakably evil smile provided a small visual manifestation of the oppressive aura that hovered around him._

_Still, he did not speak, and Kagura stood frozen under his gaze. Suddenly, he was directly in front of her, hands reaching around the back of her neck— she flinched away, but instead of the expected blow, she felt his fingers at the clasp of her charm. It came away in his hands, gold chain and jade pendant catching the light. He dropped it into her coat pocket, then stepped back to observe her reaction._

_Kagura was baffled. _Is he letting me go? No...surely this must be some kind of trap._ So she simply stood, unmoving, waiting for him to take some sort of action._

_"Hmmm." His smile widened. "Interesting. You are not freeing yourself."_

_Kagura's gaze narrowed, and she shifted her hands, which were still bound with duct tape. Now that her charm was off, she could easily snap through the restraint, but it seemed she had judged correctly that he'd expected her do just that._

_"Ah, I see now. You think yourself unpredictable, and that being so may help you." He started to pace around her, circles slowly tightening._

_**Kagura**__ stared straight ahead, trying to keep her expression as blank as possible while she used her senses to follow his ever-closer movement._

_"How unfortunate—" His hands shot out, faster than she could track, grabbed her and flung her against the metal wall, her head cracking against a curved, vertical support._

_She hissed in pain. _He's so fast—_ And before she could pry herself from the wall, he was pressed against her, chill hands gripping her jaw as he forced her face toward his._

_"How unfortunate that I am the only one who knows tonight's outcome." He ground his pelvis into her hips, and a wave of nausea washed over her. Lips crushed harshly against hers then, and fangs raked into the soft flesh. She could feel him taste her blood with his tongue._

_Tape ripped as pure, hot anger rose in her like a tidal wave, replacing the nausea. Her hands shot out, driving two wind blades into each side of his neck, piercing all the way through and slinging blood everywhere. Or she thought it was blood. As he stumbled backward, she noticed that the thick, sticky substance spurting from his neck was an odd purple-black color._

_She sucked in a breath. He was laughing quietly, and the stream of ichor pulsed in rhythm. Her eyes widened when a thought occurred to her. _Is this the demon Sesshoumaru told me about? The one who he, along with his father and brother's mother, defeated in battle, but couldn't kill? Is this Naraku?_ If it was, then he was still toying with her._

_"Kagura." He revealed that he knew her name. _

What else does he know?

_He stood fully upright, and she watched, horrified, as the wounds she had inflicted sealed themselves before her eyes._

_He stroked his neck almost affectionately. "Accelerated Regeneration," he said casually. "A useful ability." His lips curved in a small smile._

_Kagura's face contorted in a hateful expression. _You will not break me._ She flicked her fingers in a precise, lightning-fast pattern, and a whirl of wind blades shot from her hands, tearing gouges in the floor before slashing into the opposing demon, who did not evade quite fast enough._

_He grunted as chunks of flesh were torn away, splattering the floor with dark fluid. But as fast as he was shredded, he repaired himself, sealing the last cut while dodging a final stray blade, which ripped through the far wall._

_The boat rocked then, and water trickled through the gash, pooling on the metal floor. The hole was just above the waterline, allowing through small sloshes with each motion._

_A sickly smile slithered across the demon's face. "Be careful now, unless you want to sink this ship."_

_Kagura gulped. Most of her direct attacks used some type of sharp edge, and she had hoped, perhaps foolishly, that the boat might either be reinforced, or made of a material that would at least somewhat withstand her demonic energies. She wished they were on the deck of the ship, where she could gain control of a large enough air mass to sweep him and whatever cronies might be around overboard. _

_She flicked her wrist and a much smaller mass of air slammed him into the wall, rocking the ship to the side. She held him there, pinned, but it was hard to maintain pressure of such a strong gust for so long, and the ship appeared to be listing dangerously. Deftly, she flicked her other hand and drove five precise blades straight toward his chest._

_They never connected, as a dense, purple barrier rose up, cutting both the wind knives off, as well as her hold on the mass of air pinning the demon to the wall._

_"I think I have had enough of this." His voice rose from behind the shield, its edges crackling with power. "You will _bend_ for me—" he swept the barrier aside. "—or I will _break _you."_

_His hands rocketed toward her, arms lengthening, and she felt their cold grip secure her midway through her attempt to leap aside. They flung her into the floor with such force that her body dented the metal, and had she been human, she would have been dead in that instant. Instead she let out a shout of pain as her breath was knocked out of her, and tried not black out, though that might have been welcome when a pair of malicious red eyes filled her __**vision—**_

Kagura paused, breathless. "Then he— then he—" She couldn't go on, couldn't say the words aloud. She couldn't look at Sesshoumaru either, whose aura she could feel winding tighter and tighter with every word she spoke. She closed her eyes, feeling tears prickle at the corners. _I will not cry. I will not cry._ She did not cry then. She would not start now. _I will not cry._ It was a mantra.

"Kagura." Sesshoumaru's voice was low, surprisingly soothing, completely counter to the tension she could feel emanating from him.

Her eyes snapped open, lashes wet with unshed tears. Still she did not look at him.

"Sesshoumaru, he—" Again she stopped. She felt him shift toward her, reaching out to put an arm around her, and she cringed. "Please don't," she whispered hoarsely. "Please don't touch me." She felt him draw away.

Kagura inhaled deeply, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Sesshoumaru's pale hand held out in front of her, an offering. More tears gathered.

"I know you do not want me to touch you," he stated, "but if you would like to hold my hand, you may."

Her eyes widened, and one tear escaped down her cheek. He was offering her support, but more than that, he was offering her control. She could choose to have contact or not.

The tears came in a rush then, and she reached out and gripped his hand tightly in both of hers as she collapsed forward, catching her elbows on her knees so she was bent over her lap. She bit her lip harshly, stemming the sobs that fought to wrack her body as salty tears ran down her face and dripped onto her jeans. Perhaps it was all right if she let herself cry this one time.

_..._

He muddled forward in the dark, hand leading him along the line of rivets on the floor. Abruptly, his fingers came in contact with something solid, something preventing further forward progress. He stretched both hands in front of him and discovered that he'd reached a wall made of metal, much like the floor. The slosh of water sounded just on the other side of it. His mind finally connected the dots. _A boat._ He stood up carefully, bracing himself on the wall so he didn't stumble with the rocking motions of the vessel. He was debating whether to try following the wall to see if it went anywhere when lights came on all at once, blinding him with their brightness.

...

The pale woman proffered her hand to Kagome, who took it and tried not to jump as the strange aura prodded her senses.

"I'm Aave, but you know that already." Her voice was remarkably low and rich, completely counter to what Kagome had expected from the ethereal woman.

"I'm Kagome— and I hear that you all could use some help breaking into _Rebel's_ forum?"

Aave sighed. "Indeed. Their main website was difficult enough. How a group like theirs managed to afford such top of the line security, I have no idea."

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged glances. They had a pretty good guess about how _Rebel_ afforded such a thing.

"Maybe we ought to go somewhere with fewer people," Kagome suggested. "Inuyasha can delay his phone call, and we can see how much we collectively know about Naraku."

Aave nodded. "Hitoshi," she turned to address the man, "We're going to the main conference room, so if you could get the Lieutenant to come down there, I would appreciate it."

"Um, but that worm we found—"

"You pulled the computer offline already, right?"

"Well of course."

"Then don't worry about it. I'll grab someone who's not too busy and let them finish sorting it out."

Hitoshi sighed. "Alright, I'll call the Lieutenant and have her meet you at the conference room."

"Good." Aave turned briskly, beckoning Kagome and Inuyasha to follow.

...

**Kagura** sucked in a deep breath, still gripping Sesshoumaru's hand tightly in her own. _I can do this. He deserves to know._ She straightened, letting their joined hands rest on her knee as she gave her attention to the bookshelf once more.

"He pinned me to the floor, not just with his hands, but with his energies. He was so powerful, too powerful, for me, alone—"

_His hair fell around his face, blotting out some of the light from the room, and all she could see were his eyes. Those blood red eyes that nearly crackled with controlled power. And she couldn't move. He was holding her wrists with his hands, but the rest of her body he hadn't physically pinned refused to move a singular inch. In her peripheral vision, she could just make out a faint, dirty purple cloud that seemed to cover her body._

_As she glared up at him, he smiled, showing a set of fanged teeth._

_"You're hardly in a position to defy me anymore, Kagura." He stood up then, watching her continue to struggle against the energy bonds he'd placed, her eyes getting angrier, but also beginning to fill with legitimate fear._

_"Your body," he continued maliciously, "shall do what I will."_

_Suddenly, Kagura was forced to her feet, feeling like hundreds of hands were pulling her up, all over her body, directing her movements. She watched herself in horror as she first removed her wool coat, followed by her suit jacket, and then her fuchsia colored blouse. Her hands shook as she tried to keep her fingers away from the buttons, to no avail._

_He approached her, slithering into her personal space. He brushed his fingers against her cheek, and she felt herself pushed to lean into the touch as though she wanted it._

_"So eager," he breathed._

_Inside, she was shrieking at her body to stop, to fight the hundreds of hands pushing and pulling and prodding, but there was nothing, nothing she could do. Fighting the hands _hurt_, sending shooting pain down the limbs that she tried to reclaim. But she couldn't just give in; her mind would not allow it. She only hoped she'd still have her mind to herself by the time this was over._

_A corporeal set of hands at her hips derailed her train of thought and brought fear screeching to the forefront of her emotions. He'd hooked his thumbs in the waistline of her black dress pants._

_"You will kiss me," he commanded._

_She tried— _Oh god—_ she tried to fight the movement of her head tilting back, her lips parting. Jolts of lightning lanced her neck, and she screwed her eyes shut, the only part of her body she could still move of her own accord. Then his acrid taste was on her lips and tongue, his breath carrying the iron tang of blood and a stench of carrion. Her gag reflex was almost strong enough to briefly thwart his controlling magic, but instead, pain raced down her throat and into her gut where her reflex tried to defy his power._

_He yanked her dress pants down along with her underwear then, sharp nails leaving scratches and a trail of blood down the outsides of her thighs._

_A wave of utter terror crashed over her as her body laid itself down on the icy metal floor, legs spread to the demon before __**her.**_

…

He heard some shuffling and a few bangs, then soft footsteps. He cracked open his eyes, squinting in the harsh glare of the lights. He could just make out the figure of a woman, and as she drew closer and his eyes adjusted, he saw that she was only a little taller than he, with honey blonde hair and lightly tanned complexion. Oddly, she wore a police officer's uniform. He relaxed visibly at the sight, out of place as it was. Then woman smiled and paused, one hand on her hip.

"You think you're safe now or something, pretty boy?"

He blanched. There was something undeniably creepy and lecherous in the woman's tone of voice. She stalked forward, this time moving to circle around him. He turned with her, not allowing her out of his sight. She smirked.

"**On** your toes now, huh? Good. You might be younger than I usually like, but I can still enjoy watching you get nervous." She licked her lips. "Naraku said he had a surprise for me. I guess you're what he meant." She sighed theatrically, stopping her circle, then looked him directly in the eye. "Well, I can't look a gift horse in the mouth, can I?"

His eyes went wide as her hand shot out, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into the wall. His head cracked against the metal painfully, and he saw stars. He felt the woman's body press against his, her breasts pushing uncomfortably against his chest. He tried to shove her away, but she was much stronger than she looked.

"Come now," she cooed, "Surely I don't appear _that_ repulsive."

He shuddered at her tone. "Get—get _away_ from me," he hissed.

Amazingly, she let go of him and took a step back. "How rude of me," she said with an air of false politeness. "I haven't properly introduced myself, though I of course know who _you_ are, _Kohaku_."

The mention of his name snapped something inside him as he doubled over, memories suddenly crashing down on him. _The mission—Sango—he followed her—the fight, his capture—the spider demon, Oshou—_ He looked up, breathing hard.

"Remembered a few things, have you?"

"Where's Oshou?" He asked.

"That ugly arachnid? Long gone. He's got demons to rile up. Now—"

"Where are we?"

"On a boat. Stop asking so many questions," her voice lowered lustfully, "or need I remind you who is in charge here?"

He lowered his eyes in silence, inwardly gagging at her tone.

"I thought so." She smirked. "Where was I? Ah yes, I was going to tell you who I am…so that you know who your master is."

Kohaku's gaze snapped toward her, fear creeping into the edges._ What could she possibly—_

"This," she gestured to herself, pausing at her police badge on her shirt, "is Jenna, my—" she took a step forward, "_charmed_ form." She watched gleefully as Kohaku's eyes widened. "That's right, you don't have a counter-charm yet, so you can't see me." She slipped a silver ring with a round, white stone at the center off her ring finger on her right hand.

Kohaku stood frozen as he watched the transformation sift over the woman. Blonde hair turned pale blue, almost white, and blue eyes turned completely black with no visible sclera. Twisting, lavender facial tattoos ran down her temples to her jaw and continued down her neck, where they disappeared under the collar of her regulation police shirt. Her body emitted a pale purple glow. She would have been beautiful had it not been for her expression and posture that awoke a base terror in the pit of Kohaku's stomach.

"I am Achrann.*" Her voice crackled with electricity as she closed in on Kohaku, once again pressing him between herself and the wall. She leaned in, almost brushing her lips to his ear. "And Naraku made a mistake when he gave you to me. Because when we are done here—" She ran her tongue along the shell of his ear, making him flinch as the wet, acidic touch left blisters in its wake. "—the only orders you will heed are _**mine.**_**"**

…

**A/N: **So that's it for Part I. I'm awful for breaking things off there, I know. But Part II should be out relatively soon, as I've already written a significant chunk of it. Also, I'm not sure how many people picked up on this, but Jenna/Achrann is indeed the same Jenna from chapter 1 who sexually harassed Inuyasha while he was stuck in the holding cell after receiving a speeding ticket and being arrested on a robbery charge. I just wanted to make sure everyone got that, since I know it's been over a year since I started writing this story. What do you think of her reveal as a truly terrible villain?

Some quick name explanation:

* "Achrann" is the Irish word for "strife/confrontation."

* "Aave" is a Finnish word meaning, "ghost."


	10. Unraveling Part II

**A/N: **Yeah, okay, I've been gone for a million years after promising this next part would be out right away. Sorry about that. At least you know I haven't abandoned this story, right? Right? Anyway, this was a very difficult chapter for me to write, mainly because of the combined task of tackling difficult topics plus providing some necessary background information. The same warnings apply as last time, so:

**WARNING: **Trigger Warning. This chapter contains explicit sexual violence. Out of respect for those who have issues with this kind of thing, the places where it begins and ends are marked with **bold** type, and there is a summary at the end that describes relevant events in fairly clinical terms.

On a similar note, the violence depicted is, again, not meant to arouse or titillate in any way, shape or form. These are horrible acts of violence, perpetuated by expressly evil characters.

Anyway, I do believe that is all, so on with the story.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: Unraveling (Part II)<strong>

Kagome, Inuyasha, and Aave sat awkwardly at one end of the conference table, waiting for the Lieutenant to arrive. The source of the delay soon became apparent as a pair of raised voices grew louder as they moved down the hallway towards the conference room. The door burst unceremoniously open, revealing a tiny woman with jet-black hair and a completely apoplectic Sango.

"Masumi, I _will not stand for this!"_ Sango snapped harshly. "If you do not give me the appropriate clearance to lead the mission to go after my brother, who, need I remind you _again_, knows a _significant amount_ of classified information, I am going to put one together on my own!"

"Sango, don't be ridiculous! There is absolutely no way you can helm a mission like that with a clear head! You will simply put yourself and others at unnecessary—"

"After all these years, you really have so little faith in me?" Sango cut in. "This is _my brother_ we are talking about. I will not _fuck it up_ when his life and our organization's security are on the line!"

"There are already others working on getting him back!"

"They're not the best people for the mission, and _you know it._ I am only one step under you, Masumi, and my father was both a friend and Lieutenant to the Chief. I do not _want_ to use that connection, but I am not _above_ doing so either. So if you want to be able to breathe down my neck for this mission, you will _put me in charge of it._"

Masumi stood, tight-lipped. She knew that if Sango went to the Chief, she would get what she wanted, and Masumi would no longer be in a position to direct the proceedings in any way. Finally, she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Alright, Sango. Go down and tell Joren that you'll take over for him. He will probably be relieved to see you do so anyway."

Sango's demeanor changed instantly, and she nodded crisply. "I am glad we could come to an understanding, Lieutenant. I will do so immediately." She turned sharply and left the room, leaving a drained-looking Masumi and the slightly shocked group at the conference table in her wake.

"…Remind me to never get on Sango's bad side," Kagome whispered to Inuyasha.

He nodded in agreement.

...

**Kohaku** had never felt more helpless in his life, including the previous evening when he had been in the grasp of Oshou's enormous pincers, dangling fifteen feet off the ground. He didn't even need a counter-charm to see the sickly pale purple of the demon woman's aura; it sparked and crackled and danced with what could only be excitement as he felt her run her hands down his sides. Like last night, one wrong move and he would be dead, though when she slid her hands up his shirt, he couldn't make up his mind whether that would actually be worse.

"Kohaku," she whispered breathily against his neck, "will you scream for me?" And she dug her nails into his back, raking down and scratching deeply into the skin.

He let out a surprised yelp, quickly stifled as he felt cool rivulets of blood run down his back. He gritted his teeth as a burning sensation set in, and he realized that this demon must be practically made of acid. If she was going to do what he guessed she was going to do...he paled visibly at that train of thought. _Maybe there's a way I can get out of—?_ The thought was cut off as his shirt was ripped roughly over his head, catching slightly on his chin and nose.

"Hmm..." Achrann muttered. "Well I suppose you're built well enough for a 16 year old..."

Kohaku swallowed, hyper-aware of the power difference that existed between them. Against a human, he was no pushover. Faced with a demon whose aura he could only see and not feel, and thus not anticipate or find weak points, he was virtually powerless. If he wanted to survive this encounter, his best option was to comply with what the demon wanted. The idea of what she likely could and would do to him though... _Do I even _want_ to __**survive?**_

...

_**Naraku**__ stared at Kagura's prone form, a predatory smirk on his thin lips. This woman, this demon, was the most powerful wind demon he knew of...and she would be his to manipulate as he pleased. Slowly, he undid the fly of his black pants, eyes riveted to Kagura's as he watched disgust and fear take complete control of her_. Such a lovely contrast_, he mused as he slid his pants down his legs. _The nipples pert with anticipation, the lips parted with desire, but the eyes… the eyes that will tell me when I have broken her…_ He stepped out of them, the cuffs sliding over his feet, and stalked in front of Kagura, kneeling between her open thighs. Naraku could see her damp flesh quiver as she tried to fight against the energy restraints controlling her body, keeping her knees parted. Lifting her left leg slightly, he ran his tongue down the inside of her thigh, feeling her tense as she tried and failed to pull away. _

You only cause yourself more pain by resisting_, he thought idly. His tongue paused just short of the point her leg met her crotch. Without warning, he sank his teeth viciously into the corded flesh._

_Kagura's eyes snapped wide as pain exploded through her body, radiating from the point at her leg where Naraku's teeth were buried in her inner thigh. She tried to scream, but it only came out as a choked gurgle. Naraku's energies held her voice under his control as well. Abruptly, she felt the magic release her neck, and the end of her shriek exploded __**forth.**_

…

"So," Masumi started, regaining her composure. "You called?"

Aave nodded. "Inuyasha and Kagome here have a few theories to share regarding this Naraku menace."

Masumi dropped tiredly into her chair. "That guy again, huh?"

"Unfortunately," said Inuyasha.

"Yeah," Kagome put in, "It might have been better if to call a larger meeting, but on such short notice and with so many other things going on, we figure this is the best thing to do, since you can tell everyone who needs to know."

"Sounds sensible to me," Masumi agreed. "So what's the deal?"

"It has to do with the uptick in demon protests recently," Inuyasha stated, "specifically the main website they're using to spread unrest and coordinate their activities."

Aave picked up the thread, "Usually, when we deal with this sort of thing, the level of security on a given site is minimal, if not entirely non-existent," she explained. "But with the site that's directly related to last night's protest and subsequent altercation, it's a completely different story. We've been suspicious of it for a while, which is why we've been trying to get in for so long, but now that we're in, we can say with certainty that we're dealing with adversaries on a whole new level. We've _never_ encountered a site this difficult to crack, which tells me that there's decent organization, power, and money behind this."

"And we think that it's Naraku," Kagome finished.

…

**Images** of Sango and Rin swam into Kohaku's fear-addled mind. They would be devastated if he didn't come back. If he did return though, he didn't think he'd be able to face either of them. Not after what he knew was going to happen. A new thought entered his mind, _If I die, then I've let her win._

At that moment, he was crushed further into the cold metal wall behind him, one of the demon's hands planted at the center of his chest, the other cupping his crotch.

He felt his penis awaken at the touch, and a wave of nausea crashed over him. _Why—why—I don't—_ He didn't understand. He didn't want her hands on him, didn't want the mouth on his neck that was searing acid-laced kisses into his skin. He was full of pure, unbridled fear, yet his body was reacting as though the opposite were true.

"Oooh, you get off on things like this?" She squeezed him through his jeans.

_No, no— god no— _"Get off of me," he whispered hoarsely.

Achrann cackled. "Like hell."

The next thing he knew, his pants were around his ankles and her corrosive nails were digging into his **hips.**

…

_**Naraku**__ let Kagura's leg go, and her scream ended with the cessation of the bite. He smirked. Their joining of fluids would give him even finer control of such tortures. He had honed and augmented his powers for just that purpose— ultimate control._

_Kagura's eyes darted up to his face, vision bleary with pain. She still felt as though her very blood vessels ached and burned, as though lava had been poured through them. A deeper throbbing radiated from her muscles and joints where she had tried to fight against Naraku's energy bonds. Now though, she was exhausted from pain and her futile attempts at resistance. She was perilously close to fracturing. She couldn't let Naraku see though, so she slid her eyes closed, allowing the last of her demonic energies pool in reserve so that she might at least survive. _If I live… I can exact revenge.

"_Open your eyes," Naraku commanded._

_In one final act of defiance, she let them remained closed until she felt ghostly fingers pull back the lids, and she found herself staring into Naraku's glowing scarlet eyes._

_He smiled when he saw that she was close to breaking. He leaned over her, lining himself up. Now to ensure those fissures would __**shatter.**_

...

Masumi was silent for a moment. Then she pinned Inuyasha with an intense look. "I assume you know that this means that history may be about to repeat itself."

...

**Kohaku** cried out as acid fizzed in the crescent shaped puncture wounds. Achraan's breath hissed in his ear.

"That's it, I want to _hear_ you." She grabbed his now bare erection and wrapped her fingers around it, grinning when he tried to jerk away.

"No, get—get—" Her lips muffled his voice and turned it into a whine as she bit down on his lip, drawing blood. She pulled away, licking at the thin red fluid.

"You taste good," she purred, and flung him bodily to the metal floor.

...

_Naraku thrust into Kagura, and she screamed, one long cry of horror and defeat. Then she was silent, and all that could be heard was the slapping of skin as he pounded into her._

_He watched her eyes glaze over, the defiant spark snuffed out. He could see she was detaching herself, one last-ditch mechanism to protect her psyche. He couldn't have __**that.**_

...

Inuyasha nodded. "Although this time it could actually be worse."

...

**Kohaku's** head cracked against the metal floor, and he blacked out momentarily. When he came to a few seconds? minutes? later, Achraan's naked form hovered over him, glowing sickly pale purple. A moment later, he registered the hand on his penis rubbing some sort of gel all over it.

"Stop it," he whispered. Speaking made his head pound.

"But your cock wants it," she whispered back, eyes glowing eerily with lecherous intent.

He didn't understand it. Didn't understand why his body reacted that way. _Do I actually want __**this?**_

...

Kagome frowned. "I think I'm missing something here."

...

**The** thought made Kohaku's stomach turn. _No. No I don't want this, no matter what she says. _ Suddenly, gel-coated fingers grabbed his chin, turning his face to hers. He felt something hot and wet press against his groin and he tensed further.

"Don't worry. The gel will save you a lifetime of scarring...physical, that is." And her hips dropped sharply down onto him.

...

_Naraku slowed his brutal pace abruptly, hoping that the sudden change in pace would jar Kagura out of her detachment. It seemed to work, as her eyes slid slightly back into focus. Then he whispered in her ear, punctuating each word with a slow but deliberate thrust. "You will obey me."_

_Her only response was a tiny flicker of defiance in her eyes. _Still?_ he mused._

_So he continued, "If you don't, you can consider this a lesson in the _basics_ of what I can do to you...or what I can do to your __**daughter."**_

...

"You haven't told her?" Masumi asked incredulously.

...

_**"No..."**__ Kagura whispered, barely audible._

_"Yesss," Naraku hissed. He could feel the friction begin to pull his pleasure along. "I _can_ and I _will_—" he was starting to pant just a little. "Unless—"_

_Kagura sucked in a tiny breath. _Not Rin_. He was pulling her, unwilling, toward release as well. Her mind felt like it was being pried apart between her horror and the forced physical pleasure. It was pure psychological torture not being able to reconcile the two. She hadn't broken yet, but she was teetering closer and closer as the unwanted orgasm crept nearer. It would be a matter of __**minutes.**_

...

"Well, it's not like we've had a lot of free time lately," Inuyasha grumbled.

...

**Kohaku's** eyes squeezed shut. _Shit._ This was actually happening. Fortunately, the gel mitigated most of the effects of Achraan's acidic body, but that didn't stop the waves of humiliation and defeat that washed over him with every thrust. Resistance would get him nothing more than sure death. So instead he simply lay there, limp and unmoving, as Achraan's insides slid repeatedly around him. In a slightly detached way, he noticed his balls start to tighten, and he wondered at how he could be close to ejaculating when he felt so horribly violated.

...

_"Swear that you will obey me," Naraku hissed next to Kagura's neck._

_"I—I—" _God, no—_ She could feel the uwanted pleasure beginning to crest._

...

"Kohaku—" Achraan breathed. She could feel herself beginning to tighten around him. "—If you want to protect your family, you will—"

...

_"Swear!" He practically groaned. He needed her to say it to complete the bond before they both came. Otherwise she would be able to disobey him without his knowledge._

_"I—Nnnngh!" Kagura came and her mind shattered, pleasure mixing with pain and grief and disgust and an overwhelming compulsion to do exactly what Naraku wanted her to do._

...

"—do as I say. Naraku's orders—are not to be followed—unless—_I_—tell you to." She felt his body tense under her slightly. "You report directly—to me—nnnh!" Her eyes rolled back as her orgasm gripped her.

...

_Kagura's clenching walls forced his orgasm, and he came, spilling his semen inside of her. But she hadn't agreed to obey him, and the magic was only partly complete._

...

Kohaku felt himself come, but his mind was hardly there. He barely registered when she slid off of him, but as cool air hit his softening penis, a single thought floated across his mind. _That was my virginity._

...

_Tears slid down Kagura's cheeks. The compulsion to obey was gone, but in its wake was still a whole host of reasons to do so anyway. But she didn't want to think at all right now. Didn't want to suffer through consciousness. Her body, her mind, were utterly drained, and she couldn't bring herself to care if she survived. A small breath escaped her lips as she let herself slide into warm __**blackness.**_

...

Masumi turned to Kagome. "Naraku is the reason the Demon Slayers and the Order exist in their current capacities."

"Well, I had kind of figured as much, but that doesn't very well explain how that got to be the case." She was a bit irked at having been kept, albeit accidentally, out of the loop.

Masumi sighed. "This is practically required reading to become a Slayer, so anyone here at headquarters could tell you this, but essentially what happened a little over 200 years ago was that Naraku came to power, leading a huge horde of demons. He destroyed everything and everyone that resisted him, claiming that humans had brought the destruction upon themselves because of their mistrust of demons. He was only fulfilling their expectations, or so he said."

"...Did the humans...do anything to the demons?" Kagome asked tentatively. It was her experience that these sorts of things had more than one layer to the story, even though she was loathe to give Naraku the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, kind of. Enough to make an impression, I guess. He was right that humans weren't exactly kind to the demon population, and even that humans sometimes killed demons unprovoked. The reverse was true too, but obviously demons are going to play up their own losses more, exactly the way humans do theirs. So it made a certain amount of sense that a lot of demons bought into what he said— it wasn't just a bunch of low-level mindless drones, though those did exist of course. But he recruited powerful allies too, which were a lot more problematic."

"And let me guess, a lot of them were already demons who didn't mind killing humans regardless of what they did or didn't do."

"Not all of them, but enough of them, yes. They were vicious. The humans needed to do _something_ to combat the demons, since they obviously weren't all spiritualists with supernatural abilities. So the Slayers were organized to fight. The conflict dragged on for several years until the Inu-no-Taisho and his wife, Izayoi, a priestess of great and also strange power stepped in along with the Inu-no-Taisho's son, who you know as Sesshoumaru."

Kagome nodded; that last part, she knew.

Masumi went on, "They nearly defeated Naraku, pushing him back to a place of little power and nearly mortal injury. They would have won if the Inu-no-Taisho had been willing to let his son sacrifice himself. But he wasn't. What parent would? He and the lady priestess sacrificed themselves instead, in the process saving both Sesshoumaru and Naraku from imminent destruction. You can imagine how Sesshoumaru feels about _that._"

"That would explain a lot," Kagome muttered quietly.

…

"When I woke up, I was sitting in my car in the parking garage," Kagura finished, voice quiet and hoarse with tears. "I had no idea what had happened at first…just that everything hurt." She glanced over at Sesshoumaru, whose aura was swirling with more confused emotions than she had ever felt from him, and for once, his facial expression reflected them.

His grip on her hand tightened. "We will make Naraku pay," he said tightly.

Kagura frowned. "No. He did this to _me_, and _I _will make him pay." Her voice was stronger than before.

Sesshoumaru scooted a little bit closer to her, and Kagura couldn't break away from his tormented gaze. She wondered briefly if hers was similar.

"What he did hurt _all_ of us," Sesshoumaru said with careful emphasis. "Let me help you."

_Oh, you have no idea,_ Kagura thought, mind going instantly to Rin and what she had to endure. She was still struggling whether to tell him or keep that a secret.

…

Kohaku lay there, mind utterly blank, unable to process what had just happened beyond the thought that he had just violently lost his virginity. He barely registered that Achraan was now dressing him, his limbs moving like a mechanical doll's. A sharp slap across his face brought him partially back to reality, though his eyes retained some of their blank look. Belatedly, he realized that he was, in fact, now standing.

"Follow me," Achrann ordered.

He obeyed without thinking.

…

"It does," Masumi agreed, then continued. "Anyway, the chaos that occurred during the war was almost trumped by the ensuing madness after Naraku's fall. Even though Naraku was gone and many demons had ceased fighting, the humans were not so eager to see the end of the conflict. They wanted to see the end of demons. In most places, the orders among the humans were to kill any demon on sight."

"That's a bit extreme, but I can't say I blame them either..." She looked sideways at Inuyasha, a silent apology written on her face.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be like that. I woulda done the same thing. I'm a half-demon, not an idiot."

"Usually," Kagome agreed.

Masumi glanced harshly between the two of them.

"Keh," Inuyasha grumbled. He'd heard all this before, and it wasn't his favorite story, since it brought back some painful memories.

"Right then," Masumi continued. "So the kill orders presented a bit of a problem. The Slayers, in order to effectively combat the demons, had relied on gathering intelligence and studying demonic abilities of demons who sided with the humans. They knew not all demons were evil, just like not all humans were good. They appealed to the Spiritualists, who at least knew something of being different and having powers apart from the average human."

"And I take it they were successful?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, though they were skeptical at first, since they had lost virtually all of their male priests to the war. But, eventually they came around. Between the demons and Spiritualists, they were able to combine their powers to create the charms and counter-charms that demons and Slayers wear today. They distributed the charms among the demon population, enabling them to hide amongst humans, and the Slayers kept the counter-charms to ensure that they could help keep the peace and also that demons would never fully be forgotten."

"Why forgotten?" Kagome asked curiously. "They couldn't possibly—" She paused. "Could they?"

"They could and they did. The Order erased the memory of demons from history. The Spiritualists that remained cast a spell, but the nature and power of it meant that more than a few Spiritualists died in the effort, including the last few male priests. Nobody knows why, but there have strangely few male Spiritualists born since, and none of them with the power of their predecessors. At any rate though, demons went into hiding, and the Slayers and the Order became the arbiters of peace, keeping an eye on both the demon and human communities."

Kagome shook her head. "And all this time, there's never been a breach?"

Masumi answered, "Well, there was a brief moment of uncertainty a few years after the charms and counter-charms were created, where humans who were not Slayers managed to get a hold of a few of the counter-charms. The Slayers got them back though, and then collected the rest. They melted them down into dime-sized discs that could be inserted under the skin, making them nearly impossible to steal. I say 'nearly,' because, well, obviously it still happens, as you all have seen. Since then, though, things have been relatively quiet, with a few hiccups here and there."

"Hm. So demons have spent these last centuries living their lives in concealment, then."

Masumi shrugged. "There isn't a whole lot we can do about it. If the secret ever got out, it would destroy society completely."

Kagome pursed her lips. "Maybe not if it was done right…"

"The PR campaign for something like that would be ridiculous," Inuyasha put in. "I can't even imagine trying to manage it."

"You're a demon and you're not at least a little empathetic about having to hide all the time?" Kagome asked incredulously.

He shrugged and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "I don't like it, but I'm not stupid. Humans are almost more vicious than demons in their discrimination. It would be the same witch-hunt it was almost 200 years ago. Hiding is better than living in fear for your life every day, demon powers or not," he finished bitterly.

"I'd like to think society's advanced a little bit since then," Kagome grumbled.

"Keh, depends on what group you belong to. Even among human groups, people are quick to make scapegoats of each other. I don't want to think about how it would be trying to introduce what's basically an entirely new species to them."

"I think I handled it pretty well," Kagome protested.

"You also have a means to protect yourself against demonic power that most humans don't."

He had a point there. She pressed her lips into a line, greeting his comment with silence.

"Well," said Aave, breaking the tension. "We do have a real threat to deal with here."

"Indeed," Masumi agreed. "This is the first time Naraku has been a threat since he fell from power. I'm disappointed that we didn't see this sooner— he must have been doing a remarkable job of hiding his growing demonic power for us to have missed him. We 'll have to figure out how he's doing so if we want to keep him from starting another war."

"It may be too late for that," Inuyasha sighed.

"Have a little hope," Aave admonished. "We're not completely in the dark anymore."

…

Kohaku sat in what he assumed from the noise, motion, and occasional frigid spray of water, could only be a speedboat. The blindfold meant that he couldn't be one hundred percent sure, but it was a good guess. Where they were taking him, he had no idea. Neither Achrann nor Naraku had given any clues during the brief exchange on the larger boat. All that had passed between the two of them were a few curt words, a manila envelope and a USB drive. He shivered in his leather jacket, wondering just how much worse things were going to get.

…

Inuyasha stood and stretched. "Be that as it may," he said, "if we're going to stop this war from happening, I need to call my brother."

"Yes," Masumi agreed, also standing, the others following suit. "I will take you to our secure line, while Aave takes Kagome back to show her what they need help with."

"Alright." He followed her out, turning right down the hall while Kagome and Aave went left.

…

Kagura took a deep breath. "If you help me, you will be a target."

Sesshoumaru gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. "I am the human-demon relations liaison," he reminded her. "It is highly likely that I am already a target."

"But then, Rin—"

"Is also already a target because she is precious to us," he said firmly.

She swallowed. _And what I have been doing to our precious child…_ She thought. There were reasons for it. But she was seriously starting to question whether those reasons were enough.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagura began after a moment, "There's something I—"

A repetitive beeping issuing from Sesshoumaru's right pocket interrupted her. She stopped.

"At least look at who's calling," she sighed. "It could be important."

Sesshoumaru frowned faintly, but nevertheless reached into his pocket to pull out the phone and check the screen. The frown deepened further. Inuyasha was calling, and he never called unless he absolutely had to.

…

"Jeez, he's taking forever to pick up," Inuyasha grumbled to no one in particular. "It's Sunday afternoon, he can't be doing anything _that_ fucking important—"

"Inuyasha," came the sudden greeting over the speaker.

Inuyasha jumped slightly. "Finally, you jerk. What took you so long? You know the shit we've been dealing with the past few days."

"Yes, and this 'shit,'" he placed careful emphasis on Inuyasha's choice of word, "as always, has many layers that must be dealt with. Rather like a stable full of thoroughbreds, if we must carry the metaphor to the end."

Inuyasha was briefly stunned into silence. He could hear a woman chuckling in the background. Recovering himself he asked, "Is that Kagura?"

"She is here with me," Sesshoumaru replied. "Now what exactly are you calling me about? I imagine that it is more precise than, 'shit.'"

_Fuck,_ thought Inuyasha, _the guy can sound like a pompous prick even when he's cussing. _Pushing that aside, he sighed into the receiver before making his request. "I have a favor to ask. Though I guess it's technically the Slayers that are asking, but they figured I should be the message bearer."

"Yes?"

"I need you to convince the Youkai Courts to be actively involved in our investigation and fight against Naraku. The general agreement here is that the Slayers and the Order won't have enough power to stop him on their own."

Sesshoumaru's expression tightened. "I see. You realize that that will be nearly an impossible task."

"I didn't think you'd ever admit defeat before you even started," Inuyasha countered.

"I did not say I would not try," Sesshoumaru responded icily. "But you must understand that the Courts have been compromised, and it may take some time to figure out who we can and cannot trust. An error in this would be fatal to our mission."

Inuyasha blew out a breath. "I know. That's why the Slayers are asking you to do this," he said, adding grudgingly, "They think you're the only one who can."

"I see. And you believe otherwise?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "What I think doesn't fucking matter. It's not like you need my approval anyway." _Jackass_, he mentally added.

Sesshoumaru allowed the tiniest smirk play at the corners of his mouth. "You are quite right."

"Right. So you'll do this, then?"

"Yes, but you will need to be patient."

"Patience isn't really the issue here. Time is."

"I am aware. I will begin immediately and keep the Slayers informed of my progress. Is that all?"

"For the time being," Inuyasha said.

"Very well. You will hear from me in three days time, sooner if there is an emergency."

Inuyasha heard a click as Sesshoumaru hug up.

"Success I presume?" Masumi asked.

"For the moment," Inuyasha replied. "Let's see how Kagome is doing."

…

The noise of the speedboat gradually lessened until it came to a stop, and Kohaku could hear people moving around, presumably docking the craft. He was roughly shoved to his feet, and hands pulled him up as he stumbled over the side of the boat. Another hand at his back pushed him hastily forward, and he tried to maintain his balance as best he could without being able to see. He heard a car door open and was pushed quickly inside. Someone joined him in the back seat from the opposite side of the car, just as the door on his side slammed shut.

Achrann's voice sounded from the front seat. "Move it," she snapped. And they sped off with a squeal of rubber on pavement.

…

Inuyasha found Kagome and Aave huddled together in front of a screen at the back of the darkened computer lab they had initially met Aave in. The two were arguing quietly, but good-naturedly about some strip of code on the screen that Inuyasha couldn't begin to comprehend. Despite his years of existence and wide education, programming and related occupations was one area he lacked any real knowledge of.

They looked up as he came along side the desk.

"Hey," Kagome said, looking slightly irritable. "Did Sesshoumaru agree?"

"He did," Inuyasha assured.

"Miracle of miracles."

"His ass is on the line too here. If nothing else, his sense of self-preservation would've dictated he do something to help."

"I guess. I hardly know the guy. You have a few centuries on me in that regard."

Inuyasha snorted. "Yeah, well. Anyway, how's access to the forums coming?"

Kagome sighed. "It's harder than I thought it would be, but not impossible. We'll get through eventually."

"Let me guess, the rest of us just need to be patient?" Inuyasha asked resignedly.

"Pretty much."

"Great. Sesshoumaru said the same thing."

Kagome shrugged. "We're working as fast as we can. These things can take some time."

"I know, it's just that we don't really have—"

"Kagome!" Aave exclaimed, "I think I've got something!"

Kagome instantly turned back to the computer screen. "Ooh, that is promising," she agreed. "Inuyasha, why don't you help Sango look for Kohaku? She could probably use it, and, well…"

"Keh, I get it. I'm useless here. Yeah, I'll go."

"I didn't mean it like that," Kagome scowled.

"Whatever. I need to be actually doing something instead of just hovering." He stalked away.

Aave gave Kagome a bit of a look as Inuyasha left.

"What? I really didn't mean it like that," she insisted.

"It did come across that way."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Well it's true, even if I didn't mean to say it like that. He needs to be helping anyway. We can't exactly afford idle hands right now."

"True that," Aave agreed.

…

Kohaku had lost all real sense of time as they drove. As the turns tightened and became more frequent, he guessed they were nearing their destination. Abruptly they came to a stop, and he was pulled out of the car.

"This'll pinch a bit, kid," a gruff voice said next to his ear. That was the only warning he got before he felt the press of cold metal against his neck followed by a sharp stabbing sensation. He gasped and coughed.

"All done," the same voice said. He was left alone for a minute, listening to the quiet conversation behind him. Then someone walked around in front of him and shoved something into his coat pocket.

Achrann's voice assaulted his ears. "Everything you need is in that pocket," she said crisply. "If you do not follow the orders as written, we will know." She poked him in the neck where he was still sore from whatever they had shot him with. "That is a sub-dermal bug and tracking device. We will be able to hear you and know your whereabouts at all times, so don't try anything funny. Especially if you want your sister to remain safe…and that girlfriend of yours. Naraku could do all kinds of fun things to them…" She chuckled, enjoying the brief fantasy.

Kohaku swallowed hard.

"I am going to remove your restraints," Achrann went on, ignoring Kohaku's reaction. "You will count to thirty before you remove your blindfold, and then you will proceed according to the orders I have given you. Are we clear?"

Kohaku nodded mutely.

"I want a verbal answer," she snapped.

"Yes, we're clear," he whispered.

"Good." She cut through the duct tape binding his wrists. "Remember, we're watching you. Don't screw up," she breathed in his ear, nibbling the edge for good measure. Kohaku flinched. "I can do whatever I want to you."

And then she was gone. Car doors slammed and the group drove off.

Kohaku finished counting to thirty, removing his blindfold and cringing at the afternoon light. He blinked a few times, trying to figure out where he was. There were a few dumpsters, and he was standing in front of what appeared to be a back door to an extremely massive building. His eyes travelled up the façade, finally seeing the sign at the top proclaiming his location. He was back at the Hilton, the hotel he and Sango had been staying at.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **This was perhaps a bit shorter than I was originally intending, but I felt I had come to a good end point, so there we go. I make no promises about when the next installment will be out. Hope you enjoyed this though! Review, please?

Much love for those who've stuck with me all this time,

-ebj

**A note about male rape:** If Kohaku's reaction seems unlikely or strange, please know that what he experienced and how his body reacted is actually quite common for a male who is sexually assaulted. For a quick (but informative) few sentences on male rape survivors, you can follow this link and scroll down to the "Men as Survivors" section (don't forget to remove the spaces): www. nyu. edu /999 /faqs /sexualassault. html

**Summaries (for those who may have skipped the aforementioned sections of this chapter): ** Kagura tells Sesshoumaru that two years ago, she was abducted by Naraku's men and taken to a boat on Lake Michigan, where she fought with Naraku. Though she inflicted damage, he was able to heal himself instantly. Naraku then used his demonic power to control Kagura's physical movement in the manner of a puppet, forcing her to disrobe herself and appear as though she desired him, when she did not. He subsequently tortured and raped her, and the resulting mixing of bodily fluids gave Naraku greater control over the pain he could inflict on Kagura in order to manipulate her. He did all of this in order to force Kagura into working for him, since she was the most powerful wind demon he knew of, and he wanted to be able to dictate her actions. In the present, Kagura is emotionally distraught as she relays this information, and Sesshoumaru tries his best to comfort and reassure her without infringing on her personal space and giving her as much control of the situation as possible.

Juxtaposed with that flashback, is the scene in the present in which Kohaku is accosted by Achrann, otherwise known as "Jenna." Kohaku has been taken to the same boat that Kagura was taken to two years ago, and Naraku has given Kohaku to Achrann as a "gift." Achrann sees the gift as an opportunity to put Kohaku under her sway rather than Naraku's. She tortures and rapes him in order to "break" him, just the way that Naraku did to Kagura two years ago. However, Achrann does not have the same powers of control that Naraku does, but since she is dealing with a human, the threat of her killing him is enough, since she could do so easily. Achrann wants Kohaku under her control because he has access to classified information and as a teen amongst primarily adults, often goes unacknowledged, thus making him an excellent informant. How successful she is at making him her informant though, still remains to be seen.


	11. Possibilities

**A/N:** Whee, an update! One quick thing: there's a small jump in time frame about 1500 words in to this chapter (at the third section). It's supposed to be kind of sudden, but if it's too jarring, please let me know so I can think about how to maybe make it a little smoother. Other than that, I hope you are enjoying the story so far— things have gotten pretty intense, I know, and I haven't exactly been fabulous about updating... Well anyway, on with the plot!

**Chapter 11: Possibilities**

Kagome stood and stretched, groaning as a few vertebrae popped back into place. She blinked owlishly, her eyes adjusting after staring at the bright computer screen for hours on end.

"Well, I guess that's the best we're going to get for tonight," she grumbled to Aave.

"Yes," the other woman agreed. "It's pretty late already, and something tells me that if we try to continue like this, we'll just be banging our heads into a wall."

"Isn't that what we've been doing all day?"

Aave laughed half-heartedly. "Well it hasn't been a total loss."

"True. But we've gotten nowhere in the last three hours. We should have gone home when we ran into that protocol at 9:30."

"Perhaps. But _someone_ thought we'd finally be able to break into _Rebel's_ forum if we just stuck around for five more minutes."

Kagome stuck her tongue out.

"Mature," Aave chuckled.

"Hey, it's after midnight, and we're the only ones here," Kagome groused. "I can do whatever I want." She stuck her tongue out again for good measure.

Aave laughed outright this time. Just then, the door opened, and a rectangle of light cut into the semi-darkness of the computer lab, framing a tall figure with long silvery hair.

"We're leaving," Inuyasha said tersely, foregoing any kind of greeting.

"Yeah, yeah. We're coming," Kagome grumbled. "Don't get your panties in a twist."

Inuyasha scowled but didn't say anything in reply, instead choosing to huff and lean against the doorframe. He was too tired to think of snappy comebacks. Kagome and Aave gathered their things together, stowing flash drives and unplugging laptops. They slung their bags over their shoulders and proceeded almost in unison toward the door. Inuyasha turned and lead the way into the brightly lit hallway.

"Are Sango and everyone else still here too?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, she's the one who decided we were all leaving now, heh," Inuyasha replied. "It would have been earlier, but she hasn't made a lot of progress finding Kohaku."

"Oh," Kagome said quietly.

"Yeah. Miroku managed to convince her that she'd be better off trying to find him when she wasn't completely exhausted, and once he implied that she was doing her brother a disservice by not going home and getting some sleep, she basically just started shouting at everyone to leave."

"Er, is she alright?" Kagome asked tentatively.

"Miroku's tending to her. She'll be okay for the time being." They turned a corner and came to the door to the building lobby. "Just don't say anything to her about it," Inuyasha finished as he pushed open the door.

"Of course not," Kagome agreed.

As they entered the room, the group waiting in the lobby collectively looked up.

"We're ready to go," Inuyasha said as they approached.

Masumi nodded. "Good. We're going to leave the building as a group. With everything that's been going on, it'll be safer that way."

There were murmurs of general assent, and they moved as one toward the large double doors. Kagome stole a glance at Sango. The woman looked beyond exhausted, and quite dejected, though there was a definite anger simmering in the undercurrent of her expression. Kagome blew out a breath, feeling sorry for Sango, but also glad that her own brother was safe in Cincinnati with her family.

The chilly October breeze ruffled Kagome's hair and dipped down the back of her neck as they came outside. She looked up at Inuyasha, who was wearing a slight frown.

"Are we clear?" Came Masumi's voice over the group.

"Yeah, I don't feel anything out of the ordinary," Inuyasha replied. As the owner of a charm with a lighter grasp, he could sense things that Kagome could not. The rest of them were human, and though their counter-charms worked well, they were not as powerful as a dog demon's senses.

"Alright, well everyone can go then," Masumi said. "Be careful!" She admonished as the group split up.

Inuyasha and Kagome proceeded toward her car. They were silent as she unlocked it and they got in. She started the engine, backed out of the parking space, and wound her way down the tightly spiraled garage ramp. As they pulled out onto the street, she was deep in thought, still trying to pick apart the puzzle that was _Rebel_ magazine's private forums.

Inuyasha stared out the window, wondering what possible use Naraku could have for Kohaku. He was only a 16-year-old boy, and even though his sister was high up within the Slayer organization, he was having a hard time piecing together Naraku's reasoning. The demon had always been opaque in his motivations, but this was unusual even for him. The only plausible idea he could come up with was that somehow, Kohaku was going to serve as a trap. He just had to figure out how.

The obnoxious wailing of Inuyasha's phone jerked them both out of their thoughts, and he quickly snatched the offending object from his pocket, answering with a curt, "Hello?"

"Hey, do you have a few minutes?" The feminine voice on the other end asked.

"Oh, hey Kikyou." Inuyasha changed his tone quickly. "Yeah, what's going on?"

"The Taur Priestess, a few others, and I spoke with Kaede earlier, and she told us about your and Kagome's little incident at the studio the other day."

Inuyasha looked pensive for a moment. "So this is about training then?"

"Yes. We think that if you train, your combined powers will be highly useful in the conflict with Naraku, and frankly a huge liability if you don't."

"...Huh. Kagome's in the car with me. D'you want me to put you on speaker phone so you can talk to both of us?"

"Sure, that'll work," Kikyou agreed.

Inuyasha took the phone away from his ear and fiddled with it for a second. Kagome glanced over quickly, her expression curious.

"You're on," Inuyasha said, placing the phone in the cup holder between them.

"Excellent," Kikyou's voice crackled over the receiver. "How are you, Kagome?"

"Alright," Kagome said tiredly. "It's been a long day."

"I'm sure. So, as Inuyasha said, I wanted to talk to you guys about training your powers together. If we can work out a regular schedule, that magically reinforced ceiling you blew out at Fujiwara will look like child's play in a few weeks."

Kagome sighed. Their schedule was already tight, and with things as unpredictable as they were... "Yeah, I think we can work something out," she said finally. "When do you want to meet first?"

"Would Wednesday at 8 p.m. work?" Kikyou asked.

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a nod, and he answered, "That should be fine. Meet at Order headquarters?"

"Yep, that's the only place that'll have the facilities to handle your powers."

"Well, I hope it does. I don't really want to spend more time than necessary cleaning up plaster bits," Inuyasha grumbled.

Kikyou laughed. "Don't worry. We're expecting some destruction of equipment, so we've planned for it."

"Well that's good, I guess."

"Mhm. Well, I'll talk to you guys later. Call me if anything changes, alright?"

"Will do. Later." He hung up.

"Yay, more demands on our time," Kagome groused.

"It's not like we have a lot of choice here."

"Yeah, I know. And I realize it's important with everything that's going on, but it's one more thing, y'know?"

"You of all people should understand what untrained power can do to a person," Inuyasha snapped.

Kagome opened her mouth to reply, but misplaced the retort, realizing that Inuyasha was right. She settled for, "Hmph," instead, and the pair slipped into silence once again.

...

Sango pushed the elevator call button in the hotel lobby, then leaned against the cold marble wall to wait. The chill seeped into her through her coat, pushing her exhaustion back the smallest amount. She heard a _ding!_ announcing the elevator's arrival and shuffled through the opening doors. As Sango pressed the button for her floor, she glanced at her reflection in the mirrored panels. She looked haggard and worried, dark circles under her eyes, hair askew. _In short, I look like hell,_ she thought. _Though it's probably nothing to how Kohaku is feeling right now...wherever he is. _When the doors opened, she shambled out and down the hall to her room, digging in her wallet for her key card, which, fortunately, wasn't too hard to find. Sango swiped the lock and pushed the door open.

She froze. There was a light on in the room, and a dark figure seated at the table on the far side next to the window. The figure turned sharply, startled, and despite the low backlighting, looked exactly like—

"Koh-_Kohaku?" _Sango shrilled in disbelief.

He smiled tentatively, though it didn't reach his hollow eyes, and nodded.

...

Kagome's stomach growled at her, demanding to be fed. It was 11 a.m., technically still too early for lunch, as far as she was concerned. And she wanted to get the updates to the Kosha Industries website finished before lunch. Things had been going smoothly the last two days, and she thought she might be able to finish the project a bit ahead of schedule and have some time to relax before heading to training at the Order that evening.

She was anxious to get started. Monday and Tuesday had almost been too quiet for her liking, with nary a peep from any of Naraku's demons. Everyone was on edge, waiting. For what, they weren't really sure. Sango had been taking the lull especially hard. She barely talked, though it looked like she was bursting to share some piece of information. But every time Kagome had asked her about it, Sango's lips would thin out and she'd mutter about work and deadlines.

Kagome sighed, pulling her attention back to the code on her screen, where her cursor was poised next to the notation for the size of the sidebar on the website, which Kosha had requested be made a little wider.

She was typing in the new size when Miroku burst into her office, and she nearly fell out of her chair in surprise.

"Kagome!" He strode over to her desk. In a soft whisper then, "AdHOC's network and databases have been compromised."

_"What?"_ Her eyes grew round. "What the hell? When?"

"Not sure, but we just discovered it now. Come with me?"

"Yes, of course!" She pushed back her chair, stumbling a bit in her haste. Miroku reached out a hand to catch her. She straightened up.

"No talking about this until we're with the CEO. The fewer people who know, the better," He said as he relinquished his grip on her arm.

"You think someone internal might be responsible?" Kagome asked, straightening her shirt.

"It's possible. For now, it's best if we keep quiet." Miroku strode to the door, opening it and allowing Kagome through first.

"I understand," she replied.

...

"Sango," Inuyasha finally snapped, "Would you just spill whatever the hell is bothering you? I can't work like this!"

Sango scowled at him, but didn't reply verbally. Instead, she turned to her computer, typing out, _"You know I told you I can't trust my voice right now. It's all I can do to hold myself together well enough to get anything done," _and hit the send button on the Instant Messaging window.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Look, I know things aren't easy for you, but wouldn't it help to get it off your chest? If you don't want to tell me, at least go talk to Kagome or something."

She huffed, picked up her pen, started to write something, then slammed it on the desk, crumpled up the piece of paper and flung it into the recycle bin. She tapped her foot irritably for a moment, then jumped out of her chair and stalked out of the office, slamming the door behind her. Inuyasha stared bewilderedly after her.

_God dammit,_ she thought to herself as she marched down the hallway toward Kagome's office. _Inuyasha is right that I need to talk about this, but I just _can't._ If I tell anyone right away that Kohaku is back, Naraku will hunt us all down. We don't have the resources to deal with that right now. There were too many casualties in the last fight down at the stockyard._

Sango arrived at Kagome's door, frowning when she saw it was closed. She knocked twice, but there was no answer. She turned the handle, and finding it unlocked, pushed the door open. Only a small lamp was on, and the computer screen dark, clearly in sleep mode. Kagome had obviously been gone for a while. Sango sighed and turned to leave, pulling the door shut again behind her. _So much for my plan to tell Kagome and swear her to secrecy...But it's probably for the best. Who knows where or how many ears Naraku has listening._

When she got back to her own office, Inuyasha looked up at her, a curious expression on his face.

"That was quick," he said.

Sango merely shrugged, and went to sit behind her desk again.

"I guess Kagome wasn't there, huh? Or did you just chicken out?" He prodded.

Sango's eyes snapped up, flashing dangerously. "Inuyasha. Shut. Up."

"Why should I?" He asked tauntingly. "You're being awfully immature about this, y'know."

Sango jumped up, shoving her chair back and slamming her hands down on the desk. "I am most certainly _not._ There are simply things that I _cannot_ talk about!"

"Keh, more like won't." He twirled his pen idly between his fingers.

"Inuyasha, _you _are not the one whose brother mysteriously reappeared the other night, after having who knows what done to him, and—!" She ground to a sudden halt, shocked and horrified by what she'd just said.

Inuyasha gaped at her. Well, he'd gotten exactly what he wanted. The information just wasn't at all what he'd been expecting.

"Are—are you serious?"

There was no denying it now. Sango closed her eyes and swallowed. "Yes." She snapped her lids open again to glare at Inuyasha. "And that fact absolutely _does not_ leave this room."

Now it was his turn to glare. "That's irresponsible and you know it."

"Not with what could happen if Naraku finds out I've revealed Kohaku to anyone before he says to."

"If Naraku didn't want us to know Kohaku was back yet, then why the hell would he send him back now?" Inuyasha fired back.

Sango sagged. "I don't know. All I know is what Kohaku told me."

"All the more reason we need to know he's back!" Inuyasha was getting agitated at how easily Sango seemed to be accommodating their enemy. "You really think we have the resources to spare on a wild goose chase after your brother?" And suddenly it dawned on him why Kohaku would be sent back with his presence only revealed to Sango. "If...If we're looking for Kohaku, we can't be using that man power to look for anything else—And in the mean time he can spy on us through you!"

Sango's expression had grown more alarmed as she followed Inuyasha's speech to its conclusion. "But then—then we must be missing something important—We might have already missed it! God dammit, and it would be all my fault! We need to—"

A sudden knock at the door interrupted her. A muffled voice issued from the other side of the wood panel, "Sango? You shouldn't lock your office door, you know. Especially with Inuyasha in there. People will think things—"

Sango quickly unlocked the door and pulled it open, coming face to face with a visibly agitated Miroku. He was clearly trying very hard to hide it in his voice, but his pinched expression gave him away. Kagome followed close behind, her countenance only slightly better composed.

Sango looked from one face to the other. "What happened?" She asked, voice tight.

"I could ask the same of you guys," Kagome said. "You both look rather shell-shocked."

Sango gave a half-hearted chuckle. "I think we need to sit down and talk, then. It sounds like we all have important information to share."

"Important, but not good," Miroku agreed. "I'll lock the door." He winked at them and turned, pulling the door closed and flicking the latch into place.

Sango rolled her eyes at the implication of "locking the door" that Miroku's wink had conveyed and flopped into the chair behind her desk. "Miroku, while you're at it, why don't you put up a quick shield? I don't think we should risk any of this getting out."

"Sure thing," Miroku said, pulling up a chair. He seated himself, pulled off his rosary, closed his eyes and slipped into a light trance. A faint purple glow surrounded him for a moment before it pushed outward from his skin, power washing over everyone in the room as it sought out and settled against the walls, ceiling and floor. Miroku opened his eyes. "That should do for the time being." He smiled as genuinely as he could manage at the moment. "So who wants to share first?"

...

Sesshoumaru stood stiffly, waiting impatiently for the receptionist to clear him for his meeting with the Chief of the Youkai Court. Despite the wait, he knew that he was spending significantly less time jumping through bureaucratic hoops than would someone of a lesser station. Being the Human-Demon Relations Liaison had its perks, among them being able to get a short notice meeting with the Chief.

"You're good to go," the small demon said, handing Sesshoumaru his name badge. "Suite 700."

Sesshoumaru nodded curtly, though he well knew where to find the Chief's office. He hadn't recognized the demon at the desk, and clearly the receptionist hadn't recognized him either, or he'd have never advised Sesshoumaru as to his destination. As such, Sesshoumaru didn't trust the small man. He could easily be one of a few seemingly innocuous replacements facilitated by Naraku within the Youkai Court.

Sesshoumaru made his way to the elevator and pressed the call button, silently willing that this meeting would prove fruitful; the Chief could be a cantankerous old demon at the best of times.

...

"So let me get this straight," Kagome said, "Kohaku mysteriously returned on Sunday night, and you _didn't tell anyone?_ You didn't even question him?"

"You don't need to rub in how stupid I was," Sango growled. "I feel terrible enough already. And as for why I didn't question him, you haven't seen his eyes. They're dead, Kagome. I've never seen him look like that, not even when our parents died. I _know_ something terrible must have happened to him, but I also know that he's nowhere near being able to tell me about it."

"Sorry." Kagome ducked her head slightly. "I know you're only trying to protect him." She sighed. "But if we're going to help him, we'll need to know eventually."

"Not to mention we have everyone else's safety to consider too, and we can't protect ourselves or anyone else when we have virtually no information," Miroku put in.

Sango grimaced. "Believe me, I'm aware."

"So how do we get it out of him then?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku rolled his eyes. "By not asking as callously as _that," _he admonished. "Have a little sensitivity, Inuyasha. That kid has probably been dragged through hell and back."

"Keh, fine then. How do we convince him to tell us?" He amended.

"That will likely be my job, and my job alone," Sango said, then considered for a minute. "Though I suppose Rin may prove useful."

"Rin?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Kohaku's girlfriend—" Sango began.

"—And Sesshoumaru and Kagura's adopted human daughter," Inuyasha finished for her. "Normally I wouldn't want to involve a kid, but she's already mixed up in everything."

"I suppose having those two for parents would do that," Kagome mused. "Having her help could work out pretty well, since she'll be familiar with all of the secrecy surrounding demons."

"Exactly," Sango agreed. "She's only sixteen, but I think of anyone, Kohaku is most likely to confide in her."

"Unless he thinks he'll endanger her by doing so," Miroku interjected.

"Maybe," Sango sighed. "But it's worth a shot. Somehow, I think Kohaku may hold the key to defeating Naraku, and we have to figure out what it is."

...

Sesshoumaru was just raising his hand to rap on the Chief's office door when a muffled, "Come in," issued from the room. He dropped his hand to the ornate brass handle and turned, pulling the heavy wooden door open.

The Chief sat behind a large desk carved with images of various flora and demons in several states of transformation, and was in the process of moving a stack of papers out of the way so that he and Sesshoumaru would actually be able to see each other across the cluttered surface. Sesshoumaru seated himself in one of the brown leather chairs used for such meetings.

The Chief set his perilous expression upon Sesshoumaru's neutral visage. "Last minute meetings rarely herald good news," he said by way of greeting.

Sesshoumaru nodded slightly. "Unfortunately you are correct in this instance," he replied.

The Chief sighed resignedly. "Tell me."

Sesshoumaru wasted no time. "As you are aware, there has been much unrest amongst the demon population recently, leading to several close calls with humans, and even intervention by the Slayers and the Order. So far, the Youkai Courts have done very little to prevent these incidents from occurring, or much to address them after they have taken place. Keeping the existence of demons secret is integral to our survival."

"We have prosecuted crimes as they have occurred," the Chief Justice replied. "There is little else that can be done."

"The issue is that many crimes seem to go unnoticed."

The Chief pursed his lips. "Sometimes discretion must be applied to delicate situations. There are tensions that do not need to be aggravated further."

"Those tensions left unchecked may result in humans discovering demons. I trust that is not something that you desire?"

"Of course I don't want that. Some of my constituents have been chafing under the burden of constant disguise, however, and it is hard not to be sympathetic to them."

"Do you not remember how it was before the division?" Sesshoumaru asked pointedly.

"Yes, I do. Many of them don't, though."

"And you would bend your will to theirs, despite knowing the dangers of doing so?"

The Chief glared. "No, I will not. But I must at least appear to be sympathetic."

"They will figure out that act sooner or later. By not taking a strong position, you put all demons' safety in jeopardy."

The Chief paused for a moment. "What is it exactly that you are trying to get me to agree to?"

Sesshoumaru held the Chief's gaze briefly before replying, "I ask that you more fully cooperate with the Slayers and the Order. We have suspected for some time that Naraku has been on the rise, and I know that you are not unaware of this fact. The incidents that have been happening are not random, and they will eventually result in demons being discovered. You cannot continue to deny Naraku's rise and endanger your own people."

The Chief tented his fingers as he considered Sesshoumaru's speech. "I will think further on what you have said. In the mean time, the Slayers and the Order may have access to some of the Youkai Court's monetary resources and a special enforcement squad. I will detail the orders and email them to you so that you are aware of what is available for your use. I will not have these things used lightly though, and you must give your personal approval for any money and personnel used."

Sesshoumaru's mouth thinned into a line. The Chief's mandate essentially meant that if anything at all went wrong, it would be Sesshoumaru who took the blame. But he wouldn't have expected any less from the Chief. Election season was approaching.

"Very well," Sesshoumaru agreed. "I will look for your email no later than 5 pm tonight." He stood up to leave. "Have a pleasant afternoon."

"Likewise," the Chief called after, as Sesshoumaru let the office door swing shut. He stalked off down the hallway, dress shoes slapping quietly against the polished black granite floors.

…

Kagome slung her gym bag over her shoulder and slammed the lid of her car's trunk shut, looking up to catch Inuyasha's eyes as he did the same in the parking space next to hers. He appeared stressed, but the lines on his face softened as he looked at her.

"Are you ready for this?" He asked, taking a step into her space.

She raised her gaze slightly and smiled for the first time in several hours. "I think so. I'm a little curious about our location though. I wouldn't think a big fancy office building would be a likely spot for Order HQ."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's the reason they chose it."

"Yeah…" Kagome trailed off. "We should get going, or we'll be late." She started to move past Inuyasha, but he put a hand on her shoulder, making her pause and turn around.

"What—" But she cut herself off as his lips brushed her cheek. "Inuyasha?" She queried as he wrapped warm arms around her. She returned his embrace, breathing in the scent of his hair.

"I know we haven't any time to talk about this," he began lowly, "but I want you to know that Saturday night wasn't just some fluke."

Kagome smiled against his neck and pulled back so that she could look at him properly. "That's good to know," she replied, and tilted her chin up to capture his lips with hers. She felt him squeeze her just a bit closer as he dipped his tongue out to meet hers. Warmth washed over her, starting in her chest and moving outward. She clenched the fabric of his dark wool coat in her fingers, pulling him impossibly close as their lips and tongues danced. Their auras lapped at the edges of each other, trying to intertwine, testing the boundaries of their charms, thrusting against the walls of power holding them in check. A sharp lance of pain broke them apart.

Kagome clutched at her chest where it felt as though her charm necklace had burnt her. "What the hell was that?" She asked breathlessly.

Inuyasha, looking both shocked and still somewhat debauched, managed to reply, "I think that was our charms' way of keeping us from breaking them with our power."

"…Oh." That made sense. "We should probably go inside instead of standing around making out in this parking garage, huh?"

Inuyasha smiled sheepishly. "Probably." He ducked in for one more searing kiss before grabbing her hand and heading for the elevator.

…

"Kohaku…" Sango started, leaning against the hotel room doorframe.

He jumped slightly at her voice before turning around in his chair at the wooden table, eyes refusing to look directly at her.

"You can talk to me, you know," she continued. "I'm not going to judge you for what happened…it isn't your fault."

Finally, his eyes settled on her, and he shook his head vehemently, lips sealed in a line.

Sango came the rest of the way into the room, pulling a chair out so she could sit in front of the boy. He tensed, hands clenching into fists in his lap.

She tried again, "Listen, you've been cooped up in this hotel room for days. Why don't you call Rin? She's very worried about you, you know."

Kohaku's jaw tightened. _There is no way I can call her. I will only put her in danger._ _No one is supposed to know I'm back yet._

Sango sighed, and pulled a piece of paper and a pen toward her on the smooth table surface. _The others know you are back now,_ she wrote, turning the sheet toward him.

Out loud she said, "At least eat some dinner tonight, okay?"

Kohaku went white. _How?_ He mouthed silently.

_I slipped this afternoon,_ she scribbled furiously. _Sorry. I think it's for the best though. Naraku is probably using your continued 'disappearance' to divert our resources._

He heaved a deep sigh full of relief, but also apprehension. This was both good and bad for him. He pulled the paper to him and wrote, _I think you're right._

"If you'll heat some of that frozen pasta, I'll eat that," he said in a flat voice. _I can't betray emotion at all,_ he thought. _They'll hear and know something's up._

…

"A little more," Kikyou encouraged.

Kagome and Inuyasha each let a bit more energy flow into the sword they held in concert. They were sweating with the effort of containing it all within the blade. A drop trickled into Kagome's eye, and she blinked it harshly away, even as it stung.

"Now!" Kikyou shouted.

In unison, they moved the blade in a sweeping arc and released their hold on their energies. A crescent of crackling red and gold hurtled the 50 yards of the practice room and obliterated the 6-foot plaster target cylinder.

"Good!" Kikyou applauded. "I think we may be able to try this with Tessaiga! Let me get it— I'll be right back." She hustled off to one of several doors around the perimeter. "Don't try anything while I'm gone!" She admonished, and let the door fall closed.

"As if I have the energy left for that," Kagome grumbled.

"Keh, yeah." Inuyasha agreed, and promptly sat down on the floor, stretching his legs out in front of him. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she was trying to kill us," he muttered.

Kagome chuckled, and joined him on the floor, laying herself out on its cool wood surface.

"Do you think Tessaiga will make this easier or harder?" She asked, staring up at the metal ceiling beams. The place reminded her of her high school gym, except larger and with a lot more specialized equipment.

Inuyasha frowned in thought. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "There's an argument for both."

She considered for a moment. "You know, it might turn out to be easier for you, but more difficult for me."

He looked down at her. "What? Why would you think that?"

She sat up, pulling her knees in and wrapping her arms around her shins. "Well it's a demonic blade, isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"You're a demon, not to mention its rightful owner, and I'm a Spiritualist."

"That's a good point. But your energies already work with mine, so…" That was an understatement. Their energies not only worked together, they seemed to have some kind of magnetism that bound them tightly.

"I suppose…It does have demonic energy of its own though. We don't know yet how it will react with me. It could end up being dangerous."

"I don't think Kikyou would have us try it if she thought you'd get hurt," Inuyasha said, though the notion did worry him a little. "She has a lot of experience."

"Why thank you, Inuyasha," Kikyou said behind them. They jumped and looked around. Kikyou laughed.

"Keh, you're welcome, I guess," Inuyasha muttered.

Kikyou held the scabbarded sword out to Inuyasha, hilt first. He grasped it as he got to his feet.

"Inuyasha's right," she said to Kagome. "I think you'll discover that not only will the sword accept you, it will amplify your strength."

"If you say so," Kagome said uncertainly.

"Give it a shot." Kikyou smiled at her confidently.

Kagome felt the flash of a new demonic presence in the room as Inuyasha unsheathed the blade, and she watched in fascination as the exposed edge expanded far larger than should have fit into the scabbard.

…

Kohaku closed the bathroom door, while Sango took up her position just on the other side. He hoped those listening in wouldn't suspect that she was still in the main room. She had pretended to leave, opening and closing the hotel room door, with the promise to return in 20 minutes with some dessert from the hotel restaurant.

"Agent K reporting," he said quietly.

"Speak," came the crackling voice over the radio in his ear.

He calmed himself mentally. "Sango is still the only one aware of my presence. The Slayers are still looking for me. I have not yet left the hotel room, as far as Sango is aware. The documents I took from the Slayer headquarters show that the guns stolen from Hiten and Manten on Saturday were tested and inspected. The results were inconclusive, and the Slayers do not know how they work or what their true properties are. Replication is impossible as of right now."

On the other side of the door, Sango grinned. The misinformation Kohaku gave would give the Slayers and the Order an advantage later. For the Slayers had indeed figured out how the guns worked and what their effects were. In fact, they had done well enough that replication efforts were under way, though as yet, unsuccessful.

"And the hacking effort of Rebel's forums?" The voice asked.

"Still haven't cracked it," Kohaku replied, which was, unfortunately, true.

"We will see to it that they don't," muttered the voice. "Dismissed."

Kohaku stood up noisily to warn Sango away from the door. He opened it, moving past her, and flopped down on the queen bed he'd claimed. The rose colored floral patterning of the comforter stood in stark counterpoint to his inner turmoil.

_How long can I keep this up?_ He asked himself.

…

Kagome was tired but delighted as she and Inuyasha obliterated the sixth target of the evening. Working with Tessaiga turned out to be much easier than she expected, giving her a strength boost and integrating seamlessly with their combined powers. The thin white spiral of light that wound around the surging mix of red and gold belied the amount of force the sword added. They had moved on to taking out magically reinforced targets, leaving nothing but smoldering piles of dust behind.

Kikyou couldn't have been more ecstatic. "This is brilliant!" She gushed. "You two will be our secret weapon. Naraku isn't going to know what hit him!"

Kagome was a little more reserved. "Naraku isn't just one demon, you know," she said. "It's like he and his philosophy are an entire movement. It's not going to be as simple as just assassinating him."

Kikyou sighed, somewhat deflated. "I know. But we need every advantage we can get. And this is a _big_ advantage."

"It could also alienate us from the demon community further," Kagome warned. "We have to be careful how and when we use this." In trying to get into the _Rebel Magazine _forums, she had come across a lot of articles that had given her a bit of perspective on what was really going on.

Inuyasha frowned thoughtfully. "You've been reading a lot, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Kagome said. "There's a lot that's actually freely available if you know where to look. I suppose I ought to send some links out so everyone gets a better idea of what we're dealing with. It's not as simple as 'kill the bad guy,' anymore."

Inuyasha sighed. "I suppose it never is."

"We should get home though," Kagome said. Exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her, and all she wanted was a hot shower and a warm bed.

Inuyasha agreed.

…

Sesshoumaru closed and latched the door to his house, pausing to remove his shoes and placing them on the small shelf kept next to the door for precisely that purpose. A voice floated up from the basement, just loud enough that his sharp demon hearing could make it out.

"Rin, it's alright," Kagura coaxed.

Rin's hissing response was louder. "No! Don't you dare come near me!"

Sesshoumaru frowned, but didn't move from his spot next to the door yet.

"Rin, I— I'm sorry—"

"Sorry?!" Rin shrieked. "You're not sorry, you manipulative bitch!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly in shock. He'd never heard his daughter speak that way to anyone, no matter how angry she was, much less to Kagura. She had always been almost deferential. Now though…

"I don't care what you do to me! I'm telling Sessh just exactly what you've been doing for the last two years— every goddamn detail I can remember! You act like a caring, doting mother when he's around, so he hasn't had a fucking clue about the kind of messed up shit you've been pulling with your demon power!"

"Rin, I can explain—"

"You don't need to explain anything! I fucking get it! I'm a goddamned miserable human whore, and you're a power-tripping demon queen who thinks she can do whatever she damn well pleases to whatever helpless human she wants! No one would ever expect the lawyer who works on demon-human cases, the wife of the fucking Demon-Human Relations Liaison, no less, to fucking _get off on torturing human children!"_

"Rin!" Kagura sobbed, for she was in tears now, "That isn't— that's not—"

Sesshoumaru had heard enough. He swept quickly and silently to the top of the basement stairs.

"You think your fake tears are gonna work on me?" Rin snapped. "Well think again. I wouldn't be surprised if you worked for Naraku!"

Kagura sank down onto the bottom step, just as Sesshoumaru appeared behind her.

Rin gasped. Kagura jumped up in shock. She hadn't felt him coming, she was so distraught. She hardly dared to look at his face, expecting thunder. In truth, anger danced behind his eyes, but he held it in check, acutely aware that he did not yet know the full story.

"Sessh!" Rin cried, nearly flinging herself across the room at him. His proximity to Kagura stopped her, but he seemed to see the desperation on her face, and made his way toward where she stood at the far end of the purple sofa. She met him half way, throwing her arms around him and heaving sobs into his chest.

Kagura slowly sat back down on the step, tears streaming silently down her face. _Rin knows none of the truth, and Sesshoumaru only knows half._ She hoped that they would both believe her.

…

**A/N: **Well, I hope you all enjoyed this (very long awaited) update. Life has generally gotten in the way of my writing (or anything besides schoolwork, frankly), but since I've had some time over break, I thought I would try my best to get a new chapter written. And now you know the story isn't dead! Hooray! Anyway, if you review, I will most certainly respond. :) Hope everyone had a wonderful winter holiday!

-ebj


	12. Connection

**Chapter 12: Connection**

"I'm sorry," Kagura whispered from her spot on the basement steps. "I never wanted it to be like this."

"Liar!" Rin hissed, clutching herself against Sesshoumaru's side. He squeezed her shoulder.

"Let us all sit down," Sesshoumaru commanded gently. He followed his statement by lowering himself onto the squishy purple sofa, pulling Rin to sit next to him. "Kagura?" He inquired.

Kagura rose slowly from the steps and sat down on a wooden chair, slightly closer to the sofa than her perch on the stairs. She took a deep breath and looked Sesshoumaru in the eyes.

"I've been Inoculating her," Kagura explained.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly in understanding, but Rin had no idea what she meant.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Rin spat. "Last I checked I've had all my shots."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. "Kagura has been slowly immunizing you against demonic energy," Sesshoumaru said. "It's not a commonly known or executed process, since it takes a long time and is incredibly painful and complex for both the human and the demon."

Rin shifted sharply away from him on the sofa. "So you're siding with her?"

"Rin, this is not about sides. I believe you are both telling the truth." He turned a sympathetic expression on Kagura. "I know how hard this has been on you, but you should not keep something like Inoculation to yourself."

Rin cut in, "Sessh! She's been abusing me! I don't care if she was "Inoculating" me or some bullshit. You haven't heard the things she's said to me!"

"Rin," Sesshoumaru continued calmly, "Let me show you something." He removed an elegant silver ring from his right hand, and as the charm's power slid away, silvery white hair took the place of glossy black, and his eyes turned from deep brown to gold.

"What are you doing?" Rin asked uncertainly, shifting farther away from him.

"Hold out your arm," he said.

Rin looked at him askance. "Tell me what you're going to do first."

He sighed lightly. "I am going to show you that the Inoculation worked." He glanced over at Kagura to see if she would object to such a test. She simply nodded at him, tears streaming silently down her face.

Rin held out her arm tentatively, but said nothing. Sesshoumaru allowed his fingers to glow green, the clawed tips of his nails growing brighter. When they looked nearly radioactive, he drew a claw quickly across Rin's forearm. She jumped and yelped in surprise, but when she looked down, there was no damage. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't felt any pain either, just shock.

"If Kagura had not Inoculated you, you would not have a forearm anymore. You know that is how powerful demonic acid works," Sesshoumaru said.

She did know. But that didn't explain Kagura's hateful words when she had appeared to attack Rin all those times.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Rin objected.

Kagura bowed her head. "I was trying to protect you. I was afraid that if Naraku knew how I cared for you, he would use you against me. And I was afraid that if you loved me, he would be able to use me to manipulate you. And Sesshoumaru too." She choked and came to a halt, then continued in a whisper, "Naraku captured me two years ago. He raped me and tried to use a spell to ensure I would obey him. When the spell failed, he threated to kill you both or worse if I didn't agree to be his pawn."

Rin sat in silence for a moment, her anger rising. Then, "I'm sure," she spat. "What you did was torture me. Even if you did Inoculate me, by not telling me and turning it into an attack you made it as horrible as you possibly could." She took a deep breath, then carried on, "You called me a little whore. Well it sounds like you cheated on Sessh with Naraku and regretted it." Rin stood up, her eyes flashing. "Who's the whore now?"

She whirled and stalked up the stairs, leaving Kagura looking stricken and Sesshoumaru deeply troubled.

Kagura looked up at Sesshoumaru, pleading in her eyes. "You don't think that's true, do you?"

He sighed. "No, I do not. I believe you. And I love you. And while I understand why you Inoculated her without telling us, I do not think it was right."

She buried her face in her hands. "I know. I know that now." She raised her head, wiping tears from her eyes. "Will you ever be able to forgive me?"

"I do not need to forgive you. I will always love you and always forgive you. You need to forgive yourself. Come here," Sesshoumaru invited, holding his arms out to her. Kagura hesitated for a second, then crossed the room and into Sesshoumaru's embrace.

"Thank you," she breathed. "Should you go after Rin? I know she won't speak to me right now but maybe…" She trailed off.

"I think it would be best to give Rin a little bit of time," Sesshoumaru responded. "She has never taken kindly to being intruded upon before she is ready to talk."

"Yes, that's true," Kagura sighed. "I don't blame her one bit."

…

Upstairs, Rin paged quickly through the high school phone book. She had tried calling Kohaku several times, but had gotten no answer. She hadn't seen him at school either and assumed he'd caught the flu or something, but it worried her that he hadn't returned any of her calls. Finally, she found Sango's number in the phone listing. Hoping it was her cell-phone and not a land-line, she dialed.

It rang three times before an answer. "Hello," came the curt greeting.

"Um…" Rin was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Who is this?" The voice on the other end snapped.

"…Sorry. This is Rin. Is this Sango? I wanted to talk to Kohanku…"

"Oh!" Sango's tone changed instantly. "Hi Rin, I'm sorry, I didn't recognize the phone number. Kohaku can't talk right now… is there something I can help you with?"

"I…well, I don't know. I don't really want to talk about it on the phone. Can I come over?"

"What? Are you okay?" Sango asked. She hoped nothing horrible had happened. There was enough of that going around already.

"I'm fine…sort of," she amended. "I just need to get out of the house for a bit."

"Well…just a minute," Sango responded.

"Okay." She waited, staring out her bedroom window at the moonlit tree silhouetted just outside the glass. She heard some muffled voices over the receiver, and then what sounded like a door open and close.

"Hey," Sango said, "You can come over, but it's not where you think. Do you know where the Hilton is downtown?"

"Um…yeah. Why there?"

"…It's a long story. There's a guest parking garage at the hotel, but it's only for hotel patrons, so I'll just add it to our room bill."

"Can I at least pay you back?" Rin asked earnestly.

"Maybe," Sango replied. "About how long until you get here?"

"At least 45 minutes, if not an hour. I have to pack a couple of things, and then it's a bit of a drive since we live in the suburbs."

"Hmm…are you sure you don't want me or someone else to come get you? It might be dangerous for you to be by yourself, given what's been going on lately."

"I…" Rin thought for a moment. "You know, I think I'll be fine. Naraku would expect me to have an escort or something, so maybe this will be better."

"Perhaps he wouldn't predict something like that…"

"I think there are a lot of things Naraku wouldn't predict," Rin replied cryptically.

"Hmm."

"I have a tracking device I could give you access to if it would make you feel better," Rin allowed. "Sessh insisted I get it when he got his position as the Liaison, since he thought I might be a target for extremists."

"That's…well…"

"Convenient?" Rin asked.

"I was going to say, 'overprotective,' but it is convenient right now. And be sure to let your parents know where you're going."

"Um," Rin felt guilty for a split second, "I will."

"Good. Now, how do I access your tracking device?"

"You have one of those Slayer GPS signal locators, right?"

"Yep."

"Good. All you need to do is search for the name of my device and input the passwords. Slayer locators all have pre-approved digital security certificates."

…

Kagome and Inuyasha stumbled through the front door of Kagome's apartment, completely exhausted, but also feeling a heady delightful buzz from the energy work they'd been doing all evening.

"I feel kinda drunk," Kagome giggled tiredly, as she closed and locked the door behind them.

"Heh, me too," Inuyasha agreed. "We should probably—mff." Kagome cut off whatever he was going to say with a kiss. "Mm," he mumbled, pulling her close. He wanted to feel connected to her again, already missing the interaction of her aura with his during training.

Their tongues slipped out, exploring each other's mouths, and they moved clumsily toward Kagome's room. Engrossed in the feel of each other, they ran into the doorframe once, but eventually made it to Kagome's unmade bed.

Kagome pushed Inuyasha down onto the blankets, climbing on top before sealing their mouths together again. She ran her hands over his chest, enjoying the taut muscles under his t-shirt. She broke their kiss and reached for the hemline, pulled it up over his head, dragging her tongue along his abdomen. He shivered wonderfully and slid his hands into her shirt, cupping her breasts and squeezing gently.

"Inuyasha," Kagome breathed, as he removed her shirt. She reached back and unhooked her bra, letting her breasts spill free from confinement.

"You're sure this isn't too much to soon?" Inuyasha asked, hoping it wasn't.

She smiled. "It isn't. You just feel right to me." He nodded.

Leaning down, she nipped at his neck before shifting to allow him to bury his face in her chest. Kagome gasped as he gently took her nipple between his teeth, licking delicately at its tip. Heat rose in her along with her aura, which seemed to thrust against her skin.

"I think our energies agree," Inuyasha husked into her chest.

Their charms burned, but they hardly noticed. Their auras' pulse was much stronger, demanding to be set loose to intertwine. It was undeniable.

Kagome reached under Inuyasha's head to unclasp his charm. He lifted his head to help, simultaneously reaching to unhook the delicate chain around her neck as well. As the necklaces came away in their hands, a dizzying rush of energy surged forth. Red and gold swirled and eddied together, embracing, enveloping, drowning them in each other.

Through the wash of color, their hands slid over each other's bodies, pulling at clothing, grasping at flesh. The press of skin on skin, her breasts into his chest, his nakedness against hers.

All Inuyasha could see and feel was Kagome. He was pure red power, and she gold, blinding him to anything else. He couldn't feel his body anymore, just the surge of energy that they were together, a connection he couldn't begin to describe. They were one and the same, an infinite loop, a perfect, beautiful balance of the magic in the world.

Her silent call rang through the peak of their perfect storm. _Inuyasha._

_Kagome._

They fell into blissful darkness, completed.

…

Rin slipped quietly out the side door of the house, glad that Sesshoumaru and Kagura were down in the basement where they wouldn't be able to hear her leave. She hoped. At the very least, if they did hear her, they chose not to intervene, for which she was grateful. Rin didn't think she could face either of them at the moment, though she did leave a note on the counter to alleviate the guilt her conversation with Sango had induced.

She made her way down to the street in front of her house where her used, butter-yellow Volvo sat parked next to the curb. Sesshoumaru had gifted it to her when she got her driver's license two months prior, deeming it enough of a tank for it to be safe for her to drive. Maybe he was a little over-protective, Rin thought. The car still had a tape deck in it, for crying out loud. Not even a disc-changer, to say nothing of new blue-tooth and wi-fi enabled cars that existed now. It ran reliably though, and its solid construction would serve her well should she ever end up in an accident.

She turned the ignition key and pealed out of the parking space, heading for downtown.

…

Naraku looked around the table, assessing the various demons who sat nervously in his presence.

"Hiten," he said sharply. "Tell me about your progress with the publishers of _Rebel Magazine_."

The demon in question jumped slightly. Ever since Manten had been killed, he had felt a change in Naraku's attitude toward him. Naraku blamed Hiten for Manten's death. Not that Naraku cared for anyone but himself, but the loss of a minion was always a blow.

Hiten cleared his throat. He had nothing to be afraid of. There was only good news to report.

…

Rin pulled into the hotel circle drive, having made the journey amazingly without incident. The valet who took her keys eyed her car with some distaste, as though it was beneath him to park something with so little class. Or maybe he thought her lack of a fancy car would mean a lower tip. Just to spite him, Rin shoved a $10 bill in his hand, twice the usual tip rate, and his surprised and slightly chagrined expression filled her with satisfaction.

_That's right,_ she thought grumpily, _Don't make so many idiotic assumptions about people._ She turned and walked through the automatic sliding glass doors, spotting Sango waiting for her there in the lobby.

…

Inuyasha groaned and rolled over, nudging up against something warm. Surprised, he came awake all at once, sitting straight up and looking around the darkened room. He glanced down, and his breath caught slightly at the sight of Kagome asleep on her side, moonlight filtering through the blinds across her face and bare back.

Memory came flooding back. The feel of energy rushing between them, consuming and uniting them. The press of their bodies.

_Did we…?_ He looked down and realized he was still wearing his sweatpants from training earlier that evening. _I guess not._ But it had been so intense. He wasn't entirely sure, and that made him a little uncomfortable. He glanced at the clock— 3 a.m. Should he wake Kagome?

His eyes roamed over her shadowed form again, this time catching on the spiritual markings that ran up her arms. Looking more closely, he noticed that they had expanded much farther over her skin than even earlier in the evening. He reached out, gently tracing the henna-like lines with his fingers. They ran up over her shoulders, gracing her neck and spreading like ivy down the pale expanse of her back to disappear under the edge of the blanket. Curious, he pulled the cloth back a few inches.

The lines and swirls continued, terminating in gentle curves around Kagome's waist and hips. Letting his eyes travel upwards, he saw that the design wove its way over her collar bones as well, reaching toward the tops of her breasts. They were beautiful. _She is beautiful,_ Inuyasha thought. _And I'm being a creeper right now._ He scowled.

"Kagome," he whispered. "Hey." He shook her gently.

"Hmmm?" came her muddled response.

"We should, uh…brush our teeth." _Fucking lame thing to say, dumbass,_ he thought.

"Wha?" She cracked open her eyes, blinking up at him. "Wha timeisit?" She asked thickly.

"A little after three," Inuyasha supplied.

"Huh…" She sat up slowly, glancing down at her bare chest. "Uh…" She looked him over, noticing that he was also without a shirt, but that they were both still wearing pants. The question was plain in her expression.

"I don't _think_ we did, but I'm not sure," he said uncomfortably.

"But it was so…" She trailed off.

"I know."

Her eyes swept over him, pausing at his cheekbones.

"What?" he asked.

She leaned over to him, pushing his long white hair away from his face. "You've got…marks." She touched his hairline and drew her finger along the top of his cheekbone, tracing some sort of design. "You didn't have these earlier tonight."

Inuyasha blew out a breath. "You serious?"

"Yes. Let me see the other side." She gripped his chin gently, turning his face. "This must be something to do with what happened tonight." She let go of his chin. "Like our energies…linked...somehow." She studied his face for a reaction.

It made sense, he thought. "Your markings expanded, you know," he offered, gesturing to where the curling tendrils wrapped around her hips.

She followed his direction, surprise and consternation creasing her features at the markings she saw.

"I didn't think they'd spread so quickly." She frowned, seemingly perturbed.

"What's the matter with them?" Inuyasha asked. "They're a symbol of how powerful you're getting."

"I…" She puffed out an annoyed breath. "It's just that…this power has never entirely felt like _me._ Part of it is me, but there's another presence that I just... It's almost like there's another priestess in there. She's come out before, when I've been in trouble. She saved us from the demons at Alinea, not me."

Inuyasha scowled at that. "Keh, of course you saved us. Don't be dense."

Kagome shot him an irritated look. "You're not in my head, okay? You have no way of knowing."

"All I know is that your power feels like you. All of you. If there's someone else in there somehow, the power definitely doesn't belong to her."

Kagome considered the possibility for a moment. "Like…a guide," she hedged. Then the thought took on a darker tinge. "Or someone who wants control."

"Either is possible," Inuyasha agreed. "But if your charm really did belong to Isis like Kaede said, I'd say a guide is a lot more likely."

"She did say that it did…" Kagome mused. "It's still weird, feeling like someone else is there, though."

"Yeah." Inuyasha briefly wondered whether this…priestess, or whatever it was, if it was really there, could sense or see his and Kagome's…affections. His cheeks pinked slightly at the thought, and he made a mental note to save the real hanky-panky for later, once they got this business sorted out.

"Don't you want to see your marks?" Kagome inquired, interrupting his contemplations and directing the conversation away from herself.

"What? Oh, right. I suppose I do." He got up and flipped the light switch, making both of them scrunch their eyes shut briefly.

He stood in front of the mirror hanging on the back of Kagome's door, staring at the jagged red swirls painting his cheeks. He traced one with his finger, feeling a buzz of power in the marked skin.

"Say…" he started, "do your marks sort of tingle when you touch them?"

"A little," she responded, getting up to join him in front of the mirror. "They kind of suit you," she commented, looking at his reflection. "I wonder what they mean."

"You mean what's changed," he put in, with a small feeling of foreboding. "We'll definitely be talking to Kaede about this in the morning."

"Just, er, don't tell her what we were doing," Kagome muttered embarrassedly. "Or we'll never hear the end of it."

…

Sango awoke the next morning to a raucous clamor invading her ears. Sleepily, she slapped her hand in the direction of the noise, trying to shut it off. She connected with the offending object, sending it tumbling onto the carpeted floor, where it continued its commotion. Grumbling, she belatedly realized the sound was issuing from her cellphone. She reached over the edge of the bed and snatched it off the floor.

"Hello," she snapped into the phone. It was 5 a.m., hardly a reasonable hour.

"This is Sesshoumaru," came the cool reply. "I hope for your sake that you are in custody of my daughter."

It took Sango a moment to piece together, but it dawned on her that Rin must not have informed her parents fully of her plans or gotten their approval.

"Yes, she is with me. Though I was under the impression that you were already aware of that."

"She left a note," Sesshoumaru stated. "It did not specify at what time she left or when she planned to return."

"I see." Sango ran her hand over her face, burying her fingers in her bangs. Then, "Would you like to speak to her?"

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Not yet. It is enough to know that she is with you and safe. See that she stays that way. I will call again tonight."

"Alright then, I'll—" Sango heard a click and then silence. _Well that was kind of rude,_ she thought. On the other hand, it was Sesshoumaru, whom she knew by reputation to be a bit pretentious. So rude, yes, but also probably normal for him.

She stretched, arms extending over her head, realizing that now that she was awake and annoyed, there was no way she'd be able to go back to sleep. Muttering to herself, she tossed the covers off and shuffled over to the tiny coffee pot provided by the hotel. If she was going to be awake, she might as well get some caffeine into her system and accomplish some espionage while the two teenagers slept.

…

It was eleven in the morning, and Kagome still couldn't find the source of the security breach at AdHOC. Miroku hovered over her shoulder.

"I think at this point we just need to shut everything down," Kagome said resignedly. "I can't even tell if the leak is from an internal or external location. It's the only way to stop the data flow."

Miroku sighed. "I was afraid of that."

"I know it means everyone will have to stop working for the day..."

"I'll go tell the CEO. He's not going to like it." Miroku pursed his lips. "Well, if nothing else, I suppose at least some people will get a vacation."

"You know this is going to impact our business," Kagome warned. "Some people's 'vacations' may end up being permanent."

Miroku grimaced. "We'll see." He ducked out the doorway and headed towards the CEO's office down the hall.

Kagome turned back to her screen, determined to find something useful before she was given official instructions to shut everything down.

…

Inuyasha groaned as he read the email on his screen. So much for getting caught up on the Kosha Industries project he was working on. Grumbling, he saved his files, quit the programs he was running, and shut his computer down.

He grabbed his bag and wandered down the hall to Kagome's office. They could use the time to talk to Kaede about the new markings that had appeared the previous night. When he arrived though, the door was shut and locked. _She's probably off dealing with the security breach,_ he thought.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and typed out a quick text to Kagome, his thumbs adeptly flying over the screen: _Meet me at Fujiwara when you're done sorting out the security mess. _

Turning, he made his way back down the hall to the elevators when his phone buzzed, announcing Kagome's reply.

_Okay, but it might not be until late tonight._

It figured. _No prob,_ he responded. The elevator dinged its arrival, and he stepped in, pressing the button for the garage level.

…

Kagome stretched and yawned, letting out a huge sigh as she rolled her neck and shoulders. She had finally discovered the source of the breach— an internal computer belonging to an individual in the Sales department. It was still unclear whether the person had been hacked or was in on the breach themselves.

Either way, she'd been able to put a stop to the leak and take that particular computer offline, so the rest of their data was safe for now. She wondered about the nature of the files that had been copied though— they all seemed to be fairly mundane, containing what appeared to be standard, if private, client information.

However, she had noticed that they all seemed to be marked with a designation different from the files that hadn't been copied. Where "business type" was listed for each file, each numerical category (001 for retail, 002 for restaurant, and so on) was followed by a "-DRO." She had no idea what the designation meant, but the fact that each file that had been copied contained it made it significant in her mind.

She made a note to ask Sango or Miroku about it later. Being higher up in the company, they were more likely to know what the designation meant. Now though, she needed to make her way to Fujiwara Studios to meet with Kaede and Inuyasha.

…

Achrann pursed her lips in annoyance. The flow of data had suddenly stopped, and she knew that meant that someone at AdHOC had discovered and closed the breach. She pushed her chair away from her desk and went to tell Naraku in his office down the short hallway. The floor underneath her rocked with the waves on Lake Michigan, and she grabbed the railing so as not to be pitched forward. _Damn Naraku and his damn boats,_ she thought grumpily. If _she_ were running things, they would be firmly ensconced on land. _Give it time,_ she reminded herself.

"Naraku," she said curtly, coming to stop at the threshold. The demon in question made a show of turning slowly in his chair to face her. _Such dramatics,_ she thought sourly.

"Yes?"

"I have some news. May I step in?"

"Do make it quick. I am in correspondence with our contacts at _Rebel Magazine,"_ Naraku replied haughtily.

"AdHOC found our breach in their databases. The flow of files has stopped." She peered at him, attempting to gauge his reaction, but his features remained immobile. She continued, "But, we got about 75% of their 'DRO' files, which is plenty for our purposes."

He nodded minutely. "So long as we have what we require. You are dismissed." He turned back to his computer screen.

Achrann rose to her feet. _I could kill him so easily right now,_ she thought, staring at his back. One well-placed dowsing in acid, and his regenerative abilities wouldn't be able to keep up with the damage… _Patience. We haven't gathered everything we need._ She turned and flowed from the room.

…

Inuyasha locked his car, the loud 'beep' it issued making him flinch slightly. He really needed to learn to lock it once he was a few more steps away. Muttering to himself, he tried the door at Fujiwara Studios. Miraculously, it was still unlocked, despite it being about 10 minutes after their 8 p.m. closing time.

"Kaede?" He called, making his way inside. "Hello?" All was dark and quiet. He paused, reaching out as much as he could with his senses still restrained by his charm. He sniffed the air, trying to make sense of the myriad of human and demon scents he could detect. The trouble with a place like Fujiwara was that people we constantly coming and going, and most were individuals Inuyasha had never met. Detecting anyone unusual by smell was next to impossible. The smells also seemed fainter than they should, almost as if they were a day or two old.

Inuyasha frowned. Perhaps his charm was dampening things more than usual. Deciding to take a chance, he slipped it off and pocketed it. His senses flooded with more information, sights, sounds of the street outside, smells. But still everything seemed old.

Now though, he could be certain that no one, not Kaede, nor Kali, nor even any enemy, was present. Feeling suddenly uncertain and apprehensive, he padded down the hallway to the door that lead up to Kaede's apartment above the studio space.

Her door was locked, but he knew where she kept the spare key, and retrieved it from its hiding place in the weight room back up the hall. He unlocked the door, making his way upstairs, getting more nervous with each step. _What if something had happened to Kaede?_ Kaede was a priestess of some power, and Kali was a demon at least as powerful as his brother, Sesshoumaru. He didn't like to think what might have driven them off.

_Or, you know, they could have just gone out for drinks like normal people,_ his brain suggested. But the front door had been unlocked. And something just didn't feel quite _right_ to him. He paused at the top of the stairs, surveying the small living room before him. There was no sign of a struggle, no furniture or knickknack out of place.

Inuyasha crept forward, careful not to make the older wooden floor creak. He made his way toward the kitchen, rounding the corner cautiously. And he stopped dead.

The painting of pomegranates on the back wall was glowing softly pink. He knew that behind that painting was where Kaede kept her box of charms, but he'd never seen it give any outward sign like this before.

Slowly, he approached, feeling the spiritual energy buzz around him through the air. Strangely, it didn't make him uncomfortable, instead seeming to merge and flow with his own energies. Before, only Kagome's energy had felt welcoming to him. But this was clearly Kaede's spiritual energy.

Inuyasha reached out to touch the frame of the painting and jumped as a warm zing of energy rushed across his cheeks. Belatedly, he realized that it had run through his new markings. And the painting had swung open on its hinges.

Even more confused than before, but also intrigued, he pushed the painting open farther and reached inside, expecting to find the shoe box that Kaede kept her charms in. Instead, there was only a sheet of paper.

He pulled it out, realizing that it was a note in Kaede's handwriting:

_Kagome,_ it began,

_When you read this, Kali and I will have relocated. We are being closely watched, and cannot afford to stay here any longer. I assume that Inuyasha will be with you when you read this, but if not, be sure that you tell him. The Order can help you find us, but that is all I can tell you here. You should be the only one able to open the painting, but just in case, I will not disclose anything else. _

_Good luck,_

_Kaede_

Inuyasha stared at the note a few moments longer. _How in the world…?_ Kagome should have been the only one able to open the hidden compartment behind the painting. Kaede said so herself. He ran his hand over the mark on his left cheek, feeling the energy prickle under his fingertips and recalling the previous night with Kagome.

…

Kagome pulled out of the parking garage at AdHOC, turning left down the street. Coming to a stoplight, she pulled out her phone and dialed Inuyasha's number. It rang twice, and then a flustered voice answered.

"Uh, hey— Kagome—uh—"

"Hey Inuyasha, um, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. Look, something unexpected came up, and—"

Kagome groaned audibly. "Don't tell me Naraku captured Kaede."

"I don't think so, no," he responded, "But there's still something going on. She and Kali left. There's no one at the studio."

"What?" A car honked loudly behind her, making her jump. The light was green.

"Yeah, there's a note here for you that says they were being watched, and we should get the Order to help us find her and Kali if we need them."

"A note for me?"

"Yeah, it was in the hidden painting compartment."

"How did you open it, then?" She asked curiously.

"I don't actually know," Inuyasha admitted.

"Oh."

"Look, meet me at Order HQ instead of the studio, okay? Maybe someone there will be able to help us find Kaede and also figure out what the hell happened with our marks and energies last night."

"Alright." She hit the brakes and made a sharp U-turn, heading for the Order. "I'll see you there. Be careful."

"I will. Um, you too."

"Yeah." Kagome hung up her phone, her mind racing. As she came to another stoplight, she reached back and unclasped her charm, setting it in the cup holder. She reached out with her spiritual senses, feeling for any unfriendly presence that might be following her. She breathed a small sigh of relief when she found nothing unusual. For now.

She kept her charm off as she drove.

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who has stuck with me this far into NL. It means a lot! I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but I wanted to get something posted, since it's been almost nine months since I updated anything. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this installment! Let me know your thoughts in the reviews, if you're so inclined.

-ebj


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